Shakur Stevenson Gets First Main Event Slot Against Franklin Manzanilla on July 13

2016 Olympic silver medalist in boxing Shakur Stevenson has made it to the big show, headlining his first main event on July 13 in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. His opponent, stepping in to replace Hairon Socarras, is Colombian heavy hitter Franklin Manzanilla (18-5, 17 KOs).

Colliding in a 10-round featherweight bout, Stevenson (11-0, 6 KO) and Manzilla will close out the Prudential Center in a card that will also feature a 12-round bout between bantamweights Joshua Greer Jr. and Nikolai Potapov.

"Fearless" is the World Boxing Organization's number-one contender and a rising prospect in the sport of the sweet science. Not new to the limelight, the southpaw Stevenson has already made notable appearances on the Terence Crawford-Jose Benavidez card, as well as the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan pay-per-view in April.

"It doesn't matter who I fight. I am ready to put on a show for my hometown," Stevenson said. "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."

For his part, Manzanilla (30) feels more than ready to face a challenger with as much cache as Stevenson. "I fought for a world title against Rey Vargas in my last fight, and I let that opportunity slip away," Manzanilla said. "Against Shakur, I don't want that to happen to me again. It will be an honor to be in the ring with an Olympian on such a big stage. I am inspired to give the fans a great show and crash the party."

Stevenson-Manzanilla hits the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on July 13 and will air live on ESPN starting at 10:30 p.m. ET. The seven-fight undercard will stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.