Omaha - In the co-main event, 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist and top featherweight prospect Shakur Stevenson of Newark, New Jersey, stopped Viorel Simion of Romania just before the bell ending the first round. Stevenson (9-0, 5 KOs) delivered a powerful left-right combination to the head to send Simion (21-3, 9 KOs) to his knees for his third knockdown.
Now Stevenson wants to move up to a new level of competition, and the top target on his list is former IBF featherweight world champion Lee Selby.
"My granddad told me the right hook was open, and I capitalized on it," Stevenson said. "I want Lee Selby next. I feel like I've been calling him out forever."
Stevenson made a big statement with his victory over Simion - who had never been dropped or stopped before Saturday's bout. He went the distance with both Selby and former world champion Scott Quigg.
Selby has been out of the ring since May of this year, when he suffered his first career defeat since 2009. He lost his IBF title, by way of a twelve round split decision, to Josh Warrington.
Stevenson claims that he's willing to travel over to the UK to make the Selby fight happen - but that scenario remains to be seen and not very likely to happen.
On the undercard of Saturday's card, 2016 Olympian Mikaela Mayer of Los Angeles won a regional super featherweight belt with a unanimous decision over Vanessa Bradford of Edmonton, Alberta. Mayer (8-0, 4 KOs) was the aggressor throughout the eight-round bout and knocked down Bradford (4-1-2) with a right to the head in the seventh.
Also, former WBO welterweight champ Mike Alvarado (40-4, 28 KOs) of Denver knocked out Robbie Cannon (16-14-3, 7 KOs) of Festus, Missouri, with a right to the chin at 41 seconds of the second round.
