Shakur Stevenson's next opponent has been announced after his original opponent for a July 13 bout on ESPN pulled out.
Stevenson, returning home to Newark, New Jersey for the first time as a pro boxer, will now face former title challenger Franklin Manzanilla in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card on July 13 at the Prudential Center. The announcement came after Hairon Socarras, Stevenson's original opponent, pulled out shortly after the bout was announced.
Speaking in regards to the change in opponent, Stevenson said it doesn't really matter who he takes on July 13 because wants to put on a show for his hometown fans.
"It doesn?t matter who I fight. I am ready to put on a show for my hometown. Newark is going to be out in full force, and I know a victory on July 13 will move me closer to a world title shot, which is my ultimate goal," Stevenson said.
Stevenson, a former Olympic silver medalist from the 2016 Olympics, is coming off a dominant performance against former word title challenger Christopher Diaz on April 20 as part of the pay-per-view card for Terence Crawford's WBO welterweight title defense against Amir Khan. Despite only having 11 fights as a pro, the unbeaten Stevenson has already emerged as a rising featherweight contender. Stevenson is also the current IBF Intercontinental and NABO featherweight champion and is ranked in the top five at 126 pounds by the WBA, WBO and IBF.
Manzanilla last fought in February when he took on WBC super bantamweight champion Rey Vargas in Indio, California. Although Manzanilla was able to knock Vargas down in the second round of the fight, Vargas would go on to retain the title with a unanimous decision win. Since the start of 2017, Manzanilla has won four of his six fights.