Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Shakur Stevenson and Frank Martin have affirmative to a trade in for a light-weight combat that can most probably shoot park on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas or Dec. 9 in Untouched York, resources informed ESPN.
The trade in got here hours ahead of the rights to the combat had been scheduled to be auctioned off at a handbag bid. The WBC closing age ordered Stevenson and Martin to vie for its vacant title at 135 kilos.
Devin Haney, the undisputed light-weight champion, is slated to move up to 140 pounds for a fight with Regis Prograis then this yr and used to be thus named the WBC’s champion in laze. Stevenson is promoted by way of Lead Rank and Martin is aligned with PBC, which has a trade in with Showtime.
The Stevenson-Martin combat can be televised on ESPN as a primary match days ahead of the debut of the Method 1 Lavish Prix in Vegas or following the presentation of the Heisman Trophy in Untouched York, resources stated.
Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) is without doubt one of the fastest-rising stars in boxing. The 26-year-old is ESPN’s Refuse. 9 pound-for-pound boxer (and Refuse. 4 light-weight). The Newark, Untouched Jersey, local has received titles at 126 and 130 kilos and can now glance to do the similar in a 3rd weight elegance.
Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) is untested however is arguably Stevenson’s hardest check but. Guided by way of ESPN’s 2022 Professor of the Future Derrick James, Martin is coming off a alike determination win over Artem Harutyunyan, whom he dropped in Spherical 12 in their July combat.
Previous to that, Martin outpointed Michel Rivera, however the 28-year-old will now step as much as a combat with certainly one of boxing’s best possible skills.
Stevenson, a southpaw who’s possibly the game’s best possible defensive fighter, scored a sixth-round stoppage of Shuichiro Yoshino in April in his light-weight debut.
