Every Thursday here at FightHype, we make a space among the video content for a good, old-fashioned written word money shot from the depths of my bulbous, bulging sack. So, get ready for some of that infamous Magno-rific gooey, salty, sometimes NSFW truth. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Shakur Stevenson’s free agency, Canelo-Berlanga/Charlo, Tyson Fury after Usyk, and Terence Crawford.
Shakur Stevenson, Free Agent?
Hi Paul.
I understand from what I’ve been hearing and reading that Shakur Stevenson will be a free agent after his fight this Saturday. That’s an interesting proposal since he does have name value, but he might not be the most marketable of talents since he doesn’t exactly put on action-packed shows. Eddie Hearn expressed some interest in him, but I don’t see too many options out there for Shakur. PBC doesn’t seem all that interested in expanding their roster at the moment and Golden Boy has shown no interest. Oscar De La Hoya even mocked Shakur for not being an exciting fighter on Twitter not too long ago. So, what do you see as Shakur’s future? Could he just re-sign with Top Rank for lack of better options?
-- Luis
Hey Luis.
Admittedly, this isn’t the best of times for a fighter like Shakur to hit free agency. The market is not at all bullish for free agent fighters at the moment. Shakur, specifically, could have some issues because of the bad buzz he’s gotten in recent fights as a less-than-fan-friendly ring presence. If he puts up a stale performance against Artem Harutyunyan this Saturday, his options may be even more limited. But there are big fights out there if he wants to test the open market. A bout with Tank Davis would be big, for instance. Other “big” bouts at lightweight would require that he re-sign with Top Rank (versus Lomachenko) or make a multi-fight deal with Golden Boy (for a William Zepeda fight). Mayweather Promotions is a dark horse contender for a free agent Stevenson. After all, Mayweather didn’t bring in new CEO Richard Schaefer just to occupy old CEO Leonard Ellerbe’s vacant office. Signing with Mayweather, though, would probably take him out of the running for a Tank Davis fight, since Davis and Mayweather appear to be in the middle of some sort of serious beef.
A move up to 140 would give him more options, but would he want to go that high if there’s still money on the table at 135? I don’t know. From everything I’ve heard, he seems set on testing the market as a free agent and that would probably mean an effort to work his way into a Tank Davis fight. There’s no guarantee that one would happen, though, even if Shakur signed with PBC to make it an in-house fight. We’ll see how this plays out. I still have a sneaky suspicion that he may ultimately re-sign with Top Rank with the promise of getting Lomachenko.
Fury’s Plans in a Post-Usyk World
Paul.
I was not surprised to see Usyk vacate the IBF belt, but anticipated some fallout. Maybe this is just me not trusting Fury. The winner of Joshua v. Dubois will be the IBF Champion. Any chance Fury is tempted to just punt on the Usyk rematch if Joshua beats DuBois and is a "champion?" If Fury loses the rematch but is competitive like he was last fight, any chance they immediately do Fury vs. Joshua or do they feed Fury a win and do it in Summer 2025?
Thanks!
– Greg
Hey Greg.
It’s very possible that “something” could “happen” to change plans, making Fury vs. the winner of Joshua-Dubois come to life next. Fury is unpredictable and his future plans probably depend on where his head is at on any given day. I’m thinking, though, that he’ll go for the immediate rematch in this instance because of how well he was doing in the first half of that fight. A path to victory is there, with just the slightest of tweaks, and Fury is savvy enough to realize that. Unless, of course, he falls apart mentally and/or deep-dives into “substances.”
I think Fury-Joshua will be a blockbuster no matter when it happens, but it probably makes sense to get it done as soon as possible and with each fighter coming off a win. Summer of 2025 is probably a smart target date. Usyk, meanwhile, will be the odd man out, despite having beat both-- two times if he beats Fury again. That’s a lesson right there in the true nature of boxing. This business is more about star power than ring accomplishment.
Canelo’s Fighting Who?
Magno.
I almost fell out of my damn chair when I heard the other day that the likely opponents for Canelo’s next fight were Edgar Berlanga and Jermall Charlo. WTF is wrong with this guy? Nobody wants to see either of those fights. Berlanga is strictly minor league and Charlo’s a head case. I wouldn’t watch him fight either one for free, much less pay 80 bucks for it. At this point, if he’s not going to fight the one guy who makes the most sense, David Benavidez, then he should just close up shop, vacate his belts, and move on to a golf career or just sit around in his pajamas drinking cervezas.
-- John from Detroit
Hey John.
Not only is David Benavidez the best option for Canelo, but he’s really the ONLY option that makes sense from a commercial, competitive, and “just plain right” perspective. You’re right. NOBODY wants to see Canelo fight Berlanga, other than Canelo, Berlanga, and Berlanga’s people. And, as for the Charlo option, I don’t even think Charlo wants the fight. It does make you wonder what the point is to Canelo’s career if he’s not about taking a challenge anymore or putting on a good show for the fans with a competitive opponent. Munguia got a pass because the kid was big, eager, and had at least been competing in main stage bouts. Plus, we all kinda knew he’d put in a good showing. Berlanga and Charlo are different animals entirely. I do have to remind you, though, that what we’ve heard about Canelo’s plans is 100% internet rumor at the moment, with zero confirmation from the fighter or his people. This could very well be just a publicity run from Eddie Hearn to get his guy, Berlanga, into the public eye in the no. 1 option spot.
Terence Crawford, Losing Respect?
Hi Paul.
I hate to say this because I was a huge fan of his, but Terence Crawford has totally lost my respect. I know a fighter has to earn what he can while he’s still fighting, but it’s disappointing to see a man who was all about fighting the best and chasing the best when he was working his way up be all about the easy money when he finally gets to the top. You pointed out before that he’s avoiding Boots Ennis for the same reasons the top guys avoided him for so long. That’s so true and he’s come right out and said it. He’ll fight Madrimov in August and then try to snag a money fight with Canelo next. I’m not really surprised, but I am disappointed to see this coming from Crawford, who talked a much different game before.
-- Charles R.
Hey Charles.
Don’t be surprised. This is PRIZEfighting. This sport is all about the money and it always has been. There’s that old Chris Rock joke about a man only being as faithful (to his woman) as his options. That’s true of boxers and their faithfulness to their competitive drive as well. The moment they can sidestep tough challenges and earn greater rewards for less risk, they will. In Crawford’s case, I wouldn’t call moving up to fight Canelo a lesser risk, but it’s definitely a better risk-to-reward option than taking on a young, hungry Boots Ennis. It’s certainly ironic that he’s giving Boots the brush-off in the exact same way others gave him the brush-off a few years ago, but it’s not surprising. Boxing is a business and, in business, those with the most leverage always get to pick and choose their future.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.