Shakur Stevenson Signs with Top Rank

Floyd Mayweather Jr. made sure to spend some time at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Shakur Stevenson and other highly touted amateur prospects before they made that big leap in to the professional game.  Being one of Stevenson’s favorite fighters, most were sure that Stevenson would sign with Floyd, especially since Floyd was offering the Olympic silver medalist $2 million just to sign his name.

Despite Mayweather being in the catbird seat, Stephenson signed a managerial contract with another one of his boxing idols, Andre Ward, along with James Prince.  This is where things get interesting.  Prince once managed Floyd (before Mayweather left top rank to work with Richard Schaeffer, Al Haymon, and start his own Mayweather Promotions), and now manages Ward. Popular belief is that there was a little money dispute between Mayweather and Prince which involved Prince having to put a bounty out and make sure that Floyd paid up.  My question is, since Ward is signed with Roc Nation, why didn’t he maneuver Stevenson in that direction?

What’s interesting to me is that Top Rank also signed the 2012 Irish 132-pound Olympian Michael Conlan. Both Conlan and Stevenson have decorated amateur careers and both competed in the Olympic Games (Conlan won bronze in 2012).  What’s crazy is that they are at or around the same weight. Mark my words.  When the time is right, this is going to be a damn good, evenly-matched fight. But how good will this be for boxing? After all, we know that Top Rank likes to sign fighters at or around the same weight and they spend the great part of their career fighting each other. With that, Bob Arum gets paid from both ends. Honestly, this makes me wonder how Andre Ward feels about Bob Arum from a fighters perspective.

In short, Top Rank used to promote Floyd. After some serious courting, many thought that Stevenson would sign with Floyd.  Instead he signed with Floyd’s enemy.