Shakur Stevenson and Frank Martin have signed on to fight each other for the vacant WBC lightweight title. The two American lightweights will meet in the ring on either November 16th, or December 9th. Though each fighter belongs to a different promoter, the event will be promoted by Top Rank in this instance.
This lightweight world title fight between Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KO’s) and Frank Martin (18-0, 12 KO’s) is slated to become one of the most pivotal fights of the year, with both fighters considered as two of the division’s best contenders and worthy world title challengers.
Shakur Stevenson, 26, notably comes into the fight with a lot more experience than Martin given his tenure as a world champion in previous divisions. Having become a unified champion at 130 lbs, Stevenson is currently acknowledged as one of the country’s greatest talents on par with the very best in his division including Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s), Vasyl Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KO’s) and Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KO’s).
However, despite being considered an elite talent, Stevenson still has to prove himself in this new division of 135 lbs and has thus far managed to impress with his TKO win over Shuichiro Yoshino (16-1, 12 KO’s) in April . His fight against Frank Martin will pit him against a domestic contender who might be a cut above Yoshino ― who was himself a highly-regarded contender. With the WBC title on the line ― that had been vacated by Devin Haney, Stevenson now gains the opportunity to set forth a legacy that he started in his previous weight classes.
Frank Martin, 28, first made his debut at 140 lbs but has since settled down to 135 lbs where he has so far managed to build himself into a legitimate world title challenger. Though he has never fought for a world title, his opportunity to do so has now arrived with his upcoming match against Shakur Stevenson.
Martin built up a solid resume over the past couple of years to end up in this position, beating undefeated fighters such as Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KO’s) and Michel Rivera (24-1, 14 KO’s) to become regarded as one of America’s best lightweights.
Given the ability of both fighters, there is also a chance that they might even be considered for a spot on the various pound-for-pound rankings, but whether the winner will actually end up on such an esteemed list is still up to debate.
Though two dates have been set for this potential fight to occur on November 16 and December 9, a venue has yet to be established. The fight can occur in Stevenson’s home town of Newark where he has fought previously, and as his promoter Top Rank is the main promoter for the fight, there is a decent chance it might occur there.
However, the significance of two young and talented American fighters battling for a world title also helps it to qualify for a bigger stage such as Las Vegas, or New York. In any case, the fight will most likely be considered one of the more pivotal fights of the year given the standing of both fighters, and the match seems all set to be as entertaining, as it is important.
