Oscar De La Hoya is likely one of the promoters involved in signing free agent Shakur Stevenson to his Golden Boy steady.
De La Hoya states that he should decide Shakur’s marketability and match him in opposition to the appropriate opponents.
Though Golden Boy has the #1 ranked William Zepeda on their roster, nobody else would make sense to make use of as an opponent for Shakur that will appeal to fan curiosity.
Furthermore, if De La Hoya indicators Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) to a 4 or five-fight deal and he loses to Zepeda in his first combat, his marketability will plummet. That may be a catastrophe for De La Hoya and Shakur if he misplaced to Zepeda.
Oscar can be caught with Shakur till the tip of his contract earlier than he may stroll away from his mistake.
De La Hoya promoted Floyd Mayweather Jr. for 15 to 16 fights throughout his profession, and he’s effectively conscious of the necessity to have the proper opponents for a fighter to assist them.
Figuring out the Proper Opponents
“I consider there’s a chance. It is determined by what I wish to supply him, and it is determined by what fighters I’ve on my roster. It is determined by their imaginative and prescient,” mentioned promoter Oscar De La Hoya to the media when requested if he believes he can signal free agent Shakur Stevenson to his Golden Boy Promotions steady.
De La Hoya desires to match Shakur in opposition to Zepeda, however that’s not a good suggestion except he indicators him for only one combat. That method, if Shakur loses to Zepeda, Golden Boy nonetheless comes out forward. Zepeda’s recognition would develop, and it wouldn’t matter that Shakur’s profession can be over.
To make sure that Shakur retains profitable, he should be matched in opposition to fighters like his final opponent, Artem Harutyunyan. He can beat fighters like him, not massive punchers or strain fighters.
Shakur’s downside is that he doesn’t possess the ability to be a real prime participant at 135. He’s not the identical fighter on this weight class as at 126 and 130. His final two fights in opposition to Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos have proven that.
If Shakur is matched in opposition to Zepeda, he loses. The identical is true if he’s put in with Gervonta Davis, Floyd Schofield, and Abdullah Mason. Even Frank Martin would significantly threaten Shakur on account of his energy and strain.
Blueprint for Success: The Mayweather Mannequin
“I promoted Mayweather for 15 or 16 fights. So there’s form of like a blueprint there. He wants opponents. He wants the appropriate names. He wants William Zepeda,” De La Hoya continued about Shakur Stevenson. “He’s an amazing expertise. I believe he’s among the finest prime three guys on the market on this planet, and he’s nonetheless younger.”
Mayweather was a distinct story than Shakur. De La Hoya matched Mayweather in opposition to good opposition with out worrying about him shedding.
He can’t try this with Shakur as a result of he’ll lose. De Los Santos nearly beat him. The one choose that scored it appropriately had Shakur profitable by a slender 115-113 margin, and that’s how shut the combat was.
De Los Santos is nowhere close to the extent of most of the extra gifted light-weight fighters, and people guys would beat Shakur or ship him working.
Figuring out Stevenson’s Market Worth
“I’m undecided what his market worth is, and that’s what’s making it just a little troublesome. It makes it troublesome for Prime Rank and Bob [Arum] to find out what the worth is. It doesn’t assist when Shakur tells the world, ‘Effectively, I don’t combat for the folks. I combat for me,’” mentioned De La Hoya.
“You’ve acquired to combat for the followers. The followers pay you. The followers are those who purchase the tickets and purchase the pay-per-views.”
Shakur will carry good rankings in a combat in opposition to Zepeda, and a match between him and Tank Davis will do effectively. Nevertheless, he seemingly loses each fights and would have to be rebuilt with mushy opposition for 4 or 5 fights. If Shakur must be propped up after a loss, that’s not good for his marketability or DAZN.
Conditional Signing
“Regardless, I believe Shakur is likely one of the finest fighters on the market. If it is sensible for us, then I’m certain we will work one thing out,” mentioned De La Hoya about probably signing Shakur Stevenson to his Golden Boy steady.
The perfect technique can be for De La Hoya to signal Shakur for one combat in a conditional signing and throw him in a sink-or-swim scenario in opposition to William Zepeda. If he loses that combat, wash your arms off him.
