Shakur Stevenson is ready for another world title fight, it’s just a matter of which champion is next

Shakur Stevenson’s smile disappears. He’s approached with the one query that he’s considered lots over the previous six months: What’s subsequent?

It’s pissed off him. He’s uninterested in ready.

Stevenson sits up straight, seems forward and with out hesitation says, “I would like Oscar Valdez subsequent. Nothing else. That’s the large struggle. That’s the struggle followers wish to see. Make it occur.”

A Stevenson-Valdez bout is mouth-watering. A 23-year-old boxer with elite protection, velocity and approach in opposition to a 30-year-old fearless champion with actual knockout energy. It’s the kind of bout we haven’t seen sufficient of in boxing in recent times.

However earlier than Stevenson will get to Valdez, he has to maintain enterprise Saturday going through South Africa’s Jeremiah Nakathila for the vacant WBO junior light-weight interim title. As soon as once more, Stevenson has a giant platform (10 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+) and has one other alternative for him to point out off the polished skillset that has many itemizing him as a future pound-for-pound king.

Nakathila is unquestionably not the bout that Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs) needed subsequent. Because the WBO necessary challenger, he was ready for the winner of the Carl Frampton-Jamel Herring title bout. However a number of delays pushed that struggle to April (a struggle Herring received by sixth-round TKO), leaving Stevenson ready. Stevenson hadn’t fought since December 2023, and Prime Rank needed him lively in order that they scheduled this bout.

Stevenson says he’s solely watched three to 4 rounds of Nakathila (21-1, 17 KOs) and doesn’t know a lot in regards to the WBO No.2 contender exterior of individuals telling him he’s a “large puncher.” However Stevenson plans to win by “breaking him down mentally and beating him up.”

Then he can formally flip his consideration to bigger fights.

“Valdez and me is the most important struggle on the market at 130,” Stevenson instructed ESPN. “He’s a younger hungry lion, undefeated, by no means misplaced earlier than. I’m a younger hungry lion, additionally undefeated, by no means misplaced earlier than. He’s in his prime. I’m pushing up on my prime. I really feel like that must be subsequent. It’s been a very long time coming.

“What are we ready for? We’re each with Prime Rank. It shouldn’t be a tough struggle to make.”

Prime Rank loves the Stevenson-Valdez struggle and plans for it to occur inside the subsequent yr if each preserve profitable, however Prime Rank vp Carl Moretti mentioned a bout with fellow southpaw Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 KOs) for his WBO title earlier than the tip of the yr is their present plan for Stevenson. The winner of that match would safe a unification struggle in 2023 with Valdez, the WBC titleholder.

“Individuals are underestimating how aggressive a Stevenson-Herring struggle can be,” Moretti mentioned. “Two southpaws within the combine on the prime of the division. As for Stevenson-Valdez, I don’t see us doing that subsequent. I don’t see Valdez wanting to do this subsequent. He’d most likely need Shakur to have a title earlier than he fights him to make the stakes larger. We wish him to go one step at a time. That’s Herring subsequent, assuming Shakur will get out of Saturday.”

Moretti mentioned Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) will most likely struggle within the early fall. An elective WBC title protection in his dwelling nation of Mexico, a victory lap of kinds, is a chance, as is having a struggle within the U.S.

Stevenson says the Herring struggle “doesn’t curiosity him as a lot” as a result of the 35 yr previous has “miles on his profession,” plus two losses to southpaws. He says he’ll fortunately struggle and beat Herring, however he plans to go to the Prime Rank workplace in Las Vegas Sunday or Monday to debate with the executives his robust need to make the Valdez struggle first.

After upsetting Miguel Berchelt in February, Valdez was requested what he needed subsequent and talked about Stevenson first, saying “Shakur Stevenson has been calling me out, and I wanna show that we’re not ducking no one.”

There’s little doubt that Stevenson-Valdez can be the most important and most profitable struggle involving the trio of Valdez, Herring and Stevenson. However that additionally supplies Prime Rank extra cause to let it construct up till Valdez and Stevenson each have titles to make it a fair greater 2023 unification bout.

“I’m attempting to remain affected person, preserve my thoughts straight,” Stevenson mentioned. “However it does get a little bit irritating since you’re continuously saying, ‘Valdez, Valdez.’ Why Prime Rank not pushing for Valdez-Stevenson like they pushed for Teofimo [Lopez]-[Vasiliy] Lomachenko. It’s my flip.

“I’m saying this on digicam, make sure that it goes someplace. I’m keen to get again within the ring September, October. Every time Valdez is able to struggle, I’m able to struggle. He doesn’t have a struggle date arising. He don’t have something in the way in which of us preventing so it[s] received to occur subsequent. I’m going to Prime Rank, I’m calling him out.”

When the champ simply desires to take pleasure in his seafood and the highest contender simply desires his belt. ?@JamelHerring ?? @ShakurStevenson pic.twitter.com/nwHRZJNLRa

— Prime Rank Boxing (@trboxing) Might 26, 2023

But when it’s Herring subsequent for Stevenson, and that looks as if the most certainly finish end result right here, there will probably be loads of storylines between that pair as properly.

Stevenson was Herring’s necessary and primarily stepped apart to permit the Herring-Frampton struggle. After Herring beat Frampton, he instantly capped for a unification struggle in opposition to Valdez as a substitute of going through Stevenson, who was owed a title shot.

Nevertheless, Herring lastly introduced in late April that he wasn’t vacating the belt and plans to uphold his requirement to face Stevenson by the tip of September.

One other storyline is Herring and Stevenson are each tight with WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford. They usually prepare collectively in the identical health club so now that the 2 are rivals, that point collectively has change into extra testy.

Current interactions posted on social media confirmed Stevenson confronting Herring in regards to the WBO belt and his plans to beat him up.

“I’ve been round Bud [and his team] earlier than Jamel even received right here,” Stevenson mentioned. “There’s no actual beef. It’s simply he’s in my manner. Why you holding my belt hostage? All it’s a must to do is vacate the belt I could possibly be preventing for … June 12. Does he plan on preventing me? In that case, he ought to have mentioned it. I don’t know what he’s doing. That man is bizarre.”

Jamel didn’t duck gotta respect him for accepting dis a** whooping we gone placed on him.. However we centered on June twelfth I’ve to deal with enterprise first ??

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) April 29, 2023

One factor that Stevenson and Prime Rank are fully aligned on is his long-term potential.

Final week in Miami, Floyd Mayweather talked about he hopes to search out the “subsequent Mayweather.” That’s a moniker some have given to Stevenson, and Prime Rank is optimistic that if he reaches his ceiling he might have a comparable run.

“Shakur stacks up proper on the prime of the division,” Moretti mentioned. “These large fights should get made. You make changes and plans primarily based on the outcomes. However while you see him bodily, he’s not for much longer at 130. Over the following eight years, you may see him attending to 135, 140 and finally 147 like Pernell Whitaker and Mayweather. That creates a few years of huge struggle choices.”

No matter opponent order, Stevenson’s path is lastly clear to get his junior light-weight title pictures and the chance to change into a two-division champion earlier than the age of 25. It facilities on getting by means of Herring and Valdez.