Shakur Stevenson predicts he will fight Carl Frampton for world title in December

Shakur Stevenson [11(6)-0] anticipates that he will be challenging for world honours before the end of the year – and expects to do so against Irish opposition.

It won’t, however, be Mick Conlan – a super-fight with whom he had previously been building towards.

Instead, Stevenson believes he will take on another Belfast Top Rank star in Carl Frampton [26(15)-2(0)].

The 2016 Olympic silver medalist believes current champion and Frampton target Oscar Valdez will move up to 130 pounds, and leave them to face off for a vacant belt.

“I heard Valdez is gonna move up,” Stevenson told BoxingScene.

“…and probably me and Frampton could square off. I’m fine with that.”

“I ain’t saying nobody gonna duck me,” Stevenson said. “I ain’t gonna do all that, but he gonna move up and Frampton gonna fight me.”

Mexican Valdez acknowledged before his somewhat sluggish points win over Jason Sanchez last weekend that making the featherweight limit has become increasingly difficult

Promoters Bob Arum looks to already be exerting his influence over the WBO, with Stevenson jumping from #6 to
#1 in the latest update of the rankings despite not fighting while Frampton currently sits at #4.

‘The Jackal’ is due to return to the ring following his IBF title defeat to Josh Warrington at some stage in August in Boston.

This will be a comeback fight, and the Tigers Bay man only wants one such contest before returning to world title action.

Stevenson, though, has warned the 32-year-old Frampton against sharing the ring with him.

The controversial 21-year-old said that “if I was him, I wouldn’t get in the ring with me at all.”

“No disrespect to him. He was a great fighter when he had his moment. But his moment over now, and he’s a small featherweight. I wouldn’t get in the ring with me at all.”

First though, Stevenson must get through his maiden headline appearance on July 13th when he takes on unbeaten Floridian Hairon Socarras [22(14)-0-3] at the Prudential Center in his home city of Newark.