Shakur Stevenson and Josh Warrington might have a few months to keep their Twitter fingers active.
The pair of unbeaten featherweight titlists have enjoyed a lengthy back-and-forth through social media as talks continue for a potential unification bout in 2020. However, it appears that such a fight will no longer be next on the schedule, at least not for Newark’s Stevenson (13-0, 7KOs) whom BoxingScene.com has learned is being groomed for a voluntary title defense in March.
Talks remain in place to have the 22-year old headline a March 15 headliner at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City against an opponent to be named. Colombia’s Miguel Marriaga (29-3, 25KOs) has been teased as the potential opponent, although no deal is currently in place as this goes to publish.
The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger was the first to report the development.
Stevenson claimed a vacant featherweight title in a virtual shutout of previously unbeaten Joet Gonzalez last October in Reno, Nevada. The win came just three years after claiming a Silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he became the first American male Olympic boxer to advance to the finals since Andre Ward captured a Gold medal in 2004 Athens.
Ward went on to become an unbeaten two-division world champion and pound-for-pound king before calling it a career in 2017. Fittingly, he currently plays a prominent role in Stevenson’s career as co-manager along with James Prince.
Stevenson’s rise to the top has come at a much quicker rate than that of his mentor, emerging as a viable featherweight contender following a crushing 1st round knockout of former title challenger Viorel Simion in an October 2018 ESPN-televised appearance.
A four-win 2019 campaign followed, beginning with a 4th round knockout of Jessie Cris Rosales last January. Immediately following the win, Stevenson began calling for a showdown with Warrington (30-0, 7KOs), who has reigned as a featherweight titlist since a May 2018 win over Lee Selby in his hometown of Leeds, England.
Stevenson went as far as to express his willingness to travel abroad for such a fight, only to be met with Warrington’s demand to first capture a belt of his own. As much has been accomplished, though only with a series of online insults to follow in the ensuing months.
Hall of Fame promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren–who represent Stevenson and Warrington, respectively—have been in discussion about staging a unification bout as early as this May in the U.K.. However, such a timeline would leave Stevenson out of the ring for nearly seven months even if all goes as planned—which is never a guarantee in boxing.
As it stands, even a March return would put Stevenson out of the ring for nearly five months, the longest layoff of his young career.
The path to a voluntary defense also provides room for Warrington to go the same route should he so choose. The 29-year old Brit has made three title defenses of his title, including a thrilling 12-round win over former two-division champ Carl Frampton and a close and somewhat disputed split decision win over previously unbeaten countryman Kid Galahad last June at First Direct Arena in his Leeds hometown.
Warrington then followed with his most recent win in the very same venue, needing just two rounds to blow through overmatched Sofiane Takoucht last October, two weeks before Stevenson’s aforementioned title win.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox