On June 29, Teofimo Lopez will potentially face Steve Claggett to defend his WBO Super-Lightweight title. ‘The Takeover’ won against Josh Taylor in June last year. On the other hand, Shakur Stevenson will put his WBC Lightweight title on the line against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in New Jersey. Both the matches will be organized by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing. However, one must note that the Artem fight will be Shakur’s final bout with Top Rank before the 26-year-old enters free agency.
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On this occasion, FightHype interviewed the CEO of Mayweather Promotions Leonard Ellerbe. Although Ellerbe hoped the best for the events, he reminded the boxing world that everyone cannot be as succesful as Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid after converting to Islam, in the sport.
Teofimo Lopez’s upcoming opponent Steve Claggett is already 34 years old. Additionally, he has a record of 2 draws, 7 losses, and 38 wins. Out of the 38 victories, Claggett has won 26 via knockouts. On the other hand, Shakur Stevenson’s upcoming opponent Artem Harutyunyan is 33 years old. However, since his debut in 2017, Artem has had only 13 fights. As of now, he has 1 loss and 12 wins [7KOs]. On that note, being asked what he felt about the upcoming events, Leonard Ellerbe wished Lopez and Shakur luck.
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“[Bob] Arum understands how to build fighters. It’s a process. Everybody can’t be ‘Tank’ Davis. We did that s**t and doing it. It’s like that motherf****r would love to be in business with a situation where he is generating revenue. He hadn’t got there yet. He got some good fighters. But, everybody can’t be an attraction. It’s a process,” said Leonard Ellerbe.
“Teo’s a very good fighter. Shakur is a very good fighter. Wish them the best of success in their next events and what they got moving forward. But, everybody can’t be an attraction,” Ellerbe emphasized. Along these lines, he went on to praise Gervonta Davis.
According to Leonard Ellerbe, boxing stars are built over time. In this regard, he alluded to how Mayweather Promotions discovered Gervonta Davis in 2015. With Team Mayweather by his side, ‘Tank’ Davis started climbing up the ladder quickly. Eventually, he defeated Jose Pedraza in 2017 to win his first IBF Super-Feratherweight title. Therefore, Ellerbe added, “That is a process over a period of time.”
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“It’s hard as hell to generate fan interest. That’s why you have boxing stars and everybody can’t sell out venues. Boxing is entertainment. But one thing for sure, that motherf****r [Davis’] is a bada** dude,” Leonard Ellerbe concluded. With that said, what do you make of Ellerbe’s reaction to Shakur and Teofimo’s upcoming fights?
