Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. yesterday announced that Shakur Stevenson "has joined Mayweather Promotions," according to Gilbert Manzano of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Mayweather wrote on Twitter, “I came all the way to Brazil to support the athletes of the United States, but while enjoying the events I had one goal in mind and that was to extend a warm welcome to @ShakurStevenson into The Money Team family.” Stevenson, who will fight for a Gold Medal in the bantamweight division on Saturday after a walkover win in the semifinals, was the "most coveted boxer at the Olympics." Mayweather was seen "shouting advice at Stevenson during his quarterfinal match on Tuesday" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/18). BOXINGSCENE.com's Keith Idec noted it is "against amateur boxing's international rules for boxers to sign contracts before their careers technically end." However, negotiations "often begin between promoters and at least representatives for the most sought-after boxers before their careers end because competition among promoters often is intense" (BOXINGSCENE.com, 8/17).
TRENDING UPWARDS: In Boston, John Powers reports what the U.S. boxing team has "accomplished in Rio is significant, with two medals guaranteed." Light flyweight Nico Hernandez earned a Bronze last week, and Stevenson has a "chance to win the first gold medal since light heavyweight Andre Ward" in '04. Despite the U.S. being "the gold standard" in the Olympics in the past, "federation turmoil, defections of promising contenders to the pro ranks and a haphazard old-school approach to training made the US all but invisible at the global level" in recent years. The women’s program, which won two medals in the '12 London Games, "already was competitive," and if the U.S. men "can match what the women have been doing at the global level, they’ll be more than competitive at the next Games." Regardless, having two men on the podium "is an undeniable upgrade" after being shutout in London. Hernandez said of winning Bronze, "It feels good, knowing that we didn’t get a medal at the last Olympics. That gave me and my team a lot of motivation. It means a lot to me that we are coming in here and getting the job done" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/18).
