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It seems like Shakur Stevenson‘s short-stint retirement could be considered over. The three-division champion is back to at least hinting at tentative fights. Last month, the highly talented Southpaw shocked the boxing world by calling time on his 7-year-old career. But soon another message followed that insinuated a return.

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He mentioned catching up with everyone, possibly by June. But going by the conversations that have caught up, especially the latest ones, it appears talks have already been going on. Newark-born Shakur Stevenson joined the lightweight division last year. After defeating Shuichiro Yoshino, he scored a win over Edwin De Los Santos to become the WBC lightweight champion. Ever since, talks have been rife over his upcoming fight.

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Gloves to Comebacks: Shakur Stevenson Plot Thickens

As it appears, a rather benign tweet sparked off a chain of chats that gave a glimpse of how things are arrayed for Shakur Stevenson. Early today, he slammed a particular tweet. It had a purported quote from him where he seems to have spoken about a possible fight with British boxer Campbell Hatton.

But then, sometime later, another tweet followed. It asked whether contracts had been dispatched to Floyd ‘Kid Austin’ Schofield and Abdullah Mason. Marking the stakeholders, Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, and the promotions, the message read, “Ain’t forgetting this. Let’s get dat ball rolling, as you said yesterday. 2 fight deal. Floyd vs. Abdullah. Winner faces you.

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The New Jersey-born unbeaten southpaw replied on catching with Oscar De La Hoya over the matter. However, ‘The Golden Boy’ it seems couldn’t follow up on it and instead came up with an all together different match-up for him to consider. “I hit Oscar up; he completely ignored what I said about it and brung up another fight wit one of his other fighters for me, lol.

Not long ago, De La Hoya, while speaking with reporters about Shakur’s retirement, said he would love to see him fight WBA continental Americas lightweight champion, William Zepeda. He said, “William would love to fight him. William, I would love to make William Zepeda versus Shakur I I literally would, so Shakur, please come back out of retirement. Okay, let’s make that fight happen.

However, merely based on a few conversations, it would be too early to draw any conclusions. The underlying fact remains that fans want to see a boxer of Shakur Stevenson’s caliber stay in the sport and dazzle the ring. While a matchup with Gervonta Davis (now Abdul Wahid) may take time, fighting rising prospects like ‘Kid Austin’ or Mason appears to be a more workable alternative.

Read More: Shakur Stevenson Hints at Breaking Ties With Bob Arum’s Top Rank

If given a choice, who would you prefer lined up against Shakur Stevenson for this year’s opening fight? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Also Read: Shakur Stevenson Highlights Eye Witness to Attest His Dominance Over Floyd Schofield in a Sparring Session

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Jaideep R Unnithan

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Jaideep R. Unnithan is a Senior Boxing Writer at EssentiallySports and one of the division’s most trusted voices. Since joining in October 2022, he has brought a deep love for the sport into every story, whether reporting on live bouts with the ES LiveEvent Desk or unpacking the legacy of fighters from different eras as part of the features desk. Trained under EssentiallySports’ prestigious Journalistic Excellence Program, which is a specialized training initiative designed to refine top writers' skills through mentorship and advanced sports journalism techniques, Jaideep’s writing reflects a quiet authority shaped by two years of covering boxing’s flashpoints and fault lines. He is drawn to the warrior code of legends like Alexis Argüello and Marvin Hagler, while also staying attuned to the promise of rising stars like Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, David Benavidez, and Dmitry Bivol. Jaideep has a special fascination with Naoya Inoue’s old-school grit. Beyond writing, he reads widely, a habit that sharpens his storytelling, whether he’s tracing the rhythm of a classic fight or preparing his next ringside dispatch. Before joining EssentiallySports, Jaideep worked as a client manager and team manager in corporate roles, bringing strong organizational and communication skills to his journalistic career. He has also completed notable certifications, including a Non-Fiction Book Writing Workshop.

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Snigdhaa Jaiswal

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