Josh Warrington vs Shakur Stevenson

Josh Warrington vs Shakur Stevenson and Anthony Yarde vs Maxim Vlasov are ‘close’ to done deals.

Josh Warrington vs Shakur Stevenson and Anthony Yarde vs Maxim Vlasov are both ‘close’ to happening next, Frank Warren has told talkSPORT.com.

The promoter confirmed plans for two of the biggest names in his stable, both of whom are planning big returns in 2020.

IBF featherweight champion Warrington had two important fights in a breakthrough 2018 as he defeated Lee Selby to claim the title and then defended against Carl Frampton.

However, 2019 proved less fruitful with two further defences against Kid Galahad and Sofiane Takoucht.

Now though, he could finally be set to secure the unification bout he desires against WBO champion Shakur Stevenson.

When asked about Warrington vs Stevenson, Warren told talkSPORT.com: “We’re working on it.

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“I spoke with Top Rank [Stevenson’s promoters] again yesterday and we’re close to getting that done I hope.

“Great unification, it would be at Elland Road and fingers crossed we get that over the line.”

In August, light-heavyweight prospect Yarde leapt up in class to challenge Sergey Kovalev for the WBO world title in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The Brit put in a valiant performance but ultimately lost by eleventh-round knockout.

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Now, the rebuilding job is set to begin with a potential clash against another Russian, Maxim Vlasov.

Warren added: “We’re quite close to getting that done. He’s coming back, he’ll be back earlier next year.

“I met with Tunde [Ajayi] and I met with Anthony, we had a really good chat.

“He’s coming back after Christmas and he’s looking to get himself into the swing again.

“He gave a great account of himself last time, it was just experience I think that was his undoing.

“But he’s very confident and he showed that he belongs at that level.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/6...-maxim-vlasov/

I think Warrington bullies him all night long and wins ugly.

Whether Shakur will be able to keep his composure under that kind of onslaught. That's the kinda thing that usually takes a good deal of maturity.

If Arum thinks this is just gonna be another Terence Crawford job, where Crawford came over to the UK and schooled Ricky Burns and that was the beginning of Crawford's legacy then Arum has to realize Warrington is no Ricky Burns.

People tend over rate undefeated American Olympians or just Olympians in general. We've seen that with the guy who Shakur lost the gold in Rio (Robiesy Ramirez - 2 time Olympic gold medalist) lose in his 1st pro fight.

But I'd be very surprised if it actually gets done though.

This would be great if it actually happened. I think it ends up being a close fight. I’m actually not that high on Warrington, but he has more experience than Stevenson and has an aggressive style that I think will throw him off a bit. I think that Stevenson wins a close decision though.

Although I wouldn’t be shocked by any means if Warrington exposed Stevenson either.

Well I’ve constantly gone against Warrington and he’s proved me wrong every time. I’ll probably go against him again because Stevenson is a great prospect, but Warrington will probably prove me wrong again.

good fights. shakur been calling out warrington for ages. josh lost his balls? yarde takes another l

Too soon for Stevenson. I'm surprised his Management are allowing this fight.

Warrington more experience at high level and still plenty of good fights in him.

I used to be high on Warrington, I picked him to beat both Selby and Frampton, but I think Stevenson will outbox him and win wide.

Warrington has more experience with tough opponents. And very high work rates. This is a very competitive contest

Warrington has turned out to be a decent fighter ! on his day don't bet against him I have and lost twice.👌

22-year-old champ Shakur Stevenson's lofty goal: 'I want to be the king in boxing'

Nearly four years after dazzling everyone who saw him win a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his speed, footwork and instinctive feel for boxing, Shakur Stevenson stands as arguably the top male from the Class of 2016.

He’s the first male boxer from Rio to win a world title as a professional, beating Teofimo Lopez to that honor by two months. On Saturday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Stevenson will make his first defense when he faces Miguel Marriaga.

He’s quickly shown why many regarded him as the Games’ top professional prospect and why all the major promoters were throwing money at him in an attempt to get his name onto a contract.

Stevenson, though, is just getting started and he’s got rather heady goals.

“Becoming the best boxer in the sport, beating all the dudes in this weight class, then going up and beating all the best dudes in the next one and becoming No. 1 on the pound-for-pound list and becoming a pay-per-view star while I do it, that’s my main goal,” said Stevenson, who is 13-0 with seven KOs heading into the defense of his WBO featherweight title on Saturday.

“I want to be the king in boxing. I plan on being Numero Uno. The way you do that is to fight the best guys and clean out the division and go to the next one and do it again. That’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Stevenson’s rolled to his 13-0 mark so far without so much as being pushed. He’s won nearly all of his fights in a rout and, while he’s reminded those who have seen him why such a fuss was made about him, he’s yet to fully display all of his abilities.

The last thing he wants to be known as is a defensive wizard who fights off the back foot and beats all of his opponents because he’s so much quicker and faster. He gave a hint of the kind of fighter he’ll develop into in his title winning effort against Joet Gonzalez when he won 11 of 12 rounds without being hit.

Against Marriaga, a hard puncher who has 25 knockouts among his 29 wins in 32 fights, Stevenson is going to take it to the next level.

“This time, I’m going to be a lot more offensive,” Stevenson said. “My last fight, I was offensive, but I was forced to box a lot. Against this guy, I’m going to go forward a lot more. No one is going to say, ‘Oh, Shakur, he all right but he runs.’ Nah, man, that ain’t happening. I’m going to step to him.

“I want to be a superstar in this sport. To be a superstar, you have to put on superstar performances against the best guys. This fight is an opportunity for me to do that. I want to show the whole thing and put on that superstar performance.”

He’ll be fighting in the shadow of his hometown, and there will be many of his friends and family in the crowd to cheer him on at the Garden. That’s often a lot for even the cagiest of veterans to deal with, but Stevenson is the rare breed who doesn’t seem to feel pressure.

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He laughed at the notion it would be difficult for him.

He’s been so gifted and in the spotlight for so long that even at the tender age of 22, it’s old hat to him. He’s the kind of guy who plays to the crowd and puts on his best performances when the moment is biggest and the spotlight is the brightest.

“I’m a professional and you have to know how to be able to block out all the outside influences and concentrate on what’s in front of you when you’re a professional,” Stevenson said. “I get it. I’m there to do a job and I’ll approach this like every other fight I’ve had. There will be plenty of time to see everybody and talk and celebrate after the fight.

“I’m going there to do my job and that’s all I’m going to be focusing on. Once that job is over, then great, I’ll enjoy it, but you can’t lose sight of what you’re there to do.”

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/22-...150609058.html