Start by ignoring this video’s own title, because Fannon himself spends nine minutes dismantling the hype around it. Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis do not speak in this video at all — the only criticism of James Prince here is Fannon’s own, aimed at Prince’s ambition, not a complaint aired by the fighters. And no low-ball offer is ever shown, quoted or itemised. What you actually get is Fannon, solo, laughing that everything he predicted about this fallout has come to pass.
His core argument is simple: you cannot have a bidding war for two fighters who were just released. Reports of promoters fighting over their services get mocked from the opening minute — they were let go, in his words, free of charge. The Turki Alalshikh money that had everybody chasing what Bob Arum called the golden calf is gone, and the gold rush, Fannon says, is over.
Then comes his real prediction, and it is not a friendly one. Shakur has been ordered by the WBO to negotiate with Raymond Muratalla for the 140-pound title — a belt Fannon says Shakur never really wanted, since he climbed to 140 while still wanting to live at 135. Fannon’s call: more than likely, Shakur drops the belt rather than go through a purse bid to defend it.
On the money, be precise about what is claim and what is guesswork. Fannon says Shakur knows he does not deserve $15 million a fight — that was the level both men’s expectations were set at. His own estimate for where they land is somewhere around $3 million to $5 million. That is the host’s prediction, not an offer on a table, and he frames it as healthy: these guys are not going to be getting big paydays, and he thinks that is good for the sport.
Our take: strip away the title and this is the same squeeze everybody serious is describing — no rebuild plan, no mega-money safety net, and a mandatory who is not going away. If Fannon is right about the belt being vacated, that will say more about where Shakur’s career actually is than any press release. Fighters who stand on business do not hand belts back.
Video credit: Fannon Boxing.
