-
Eric WoodyardESPN
EMOTIONALLY HIGH OFF a huge payday, Shakur Stevenson felt like it was time to get iced out.
He had just claimed the WBO interim junior lightweight title after cruising past Jeremiah Nakathila. His 24th birthday was right around the corner. So, Stevenson decided to spoil himself with a gift: a chunky, diamond-encrusted chain with his initials, SS, as a flashy charm.
Stevenson wanted to splurge. However, his co-manager James Prince, aka J. Prince, wanted to put things in perspective.
“I wanted to go buy another chain. But I didn’t have a house yet. I didn’t have none of that set, so he sat me down and pointed me in the direction of getting a house,” Stevenson said of Prince. “That’s more important than going out here to buy a couple of chains and jewelry and watches.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m trying to be out here looking good. I’m tryna have the chain,'” he explained. “But I actually listened to him and I feel like that was one of the smartest moves to do now that I’m in the situation I’m in. It feels good to have my own spot that I can come to, I live at and I feel secure. He definitely guided me in the right direction.”
That relationship and the guidance that came with it began a number of years ago when Stevenson, then an amateur boxer, met Prince through a mutual friend, Antonio Leonard. Stevenson then played pool with Prince, stayed at his home and bonded through casual conversation.
They grew closer as Stevenson went through the 2016 Olympic experience of winning a silver medal. Stevenson says Prince never chased him strongly to become his manager, at least not outwardly, but a bond was instead formed through conversations about boxing history. Gradually, talks emerged of personal business plans, and it was the personable nature of Prince that eventually made Stevenson want to sign with him.
Stevenson, originally from New Jersey, now lives in Houston — the same city where Prince built his empire as one of the most respected men in the hip-hop industry as founder and CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records.
His business acumen helped inspire fellow Southern hip-hop moguls such as Master P of No Limit Records and Birdman of Cash Money Records, and J. Prince directly mentored legendary rap stars Drake, Scarface and Bun B along the way.
“When you talk about J. Prince, he’s the godfather of this,” Master P told ESPN. “When you talk about hip-hop and even in this boxing thing, I’ve seen a lot of great managers, but I haven’t seen a Black man at this position, where people follow your leadership, people want to be with you and even a guy that’s gonna fight for the people he loves.”
And Prince has fought for Stevenson. Along with co-manager Josh Dubin, Prince feels that the stage he’s on now is the one that they’ve always envisioned for their boxer, ever since they began doing business. On Saturday, Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs) enters arguably the toughest bout of his career, against Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 KOs). Herring’s WBO junior lightweight title will be on the line in the main event of a Top Rank card at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
“Right now is perfect timing. The work has been put in. The development has taken place and it’s time for us to go and claim and receive what’s ours,” Prince said. “We’ve been on the radar for quite a while and we allowed different things to take place, but we’re looking forward to Atlanta — one of the places that I love dearly down in the South. And we’re gonna deliver to this man an ass whooping of his life. Straight up.”
PRINCE WAS ALREADY successful in his own right well before boxing. When he founded Rap-A-Lot Records in 1987, he built the blueprint for Southern independent rap labels to follow after experiencing massive success with legendary artists such as Scarface, the Geto Boys, Pimp C, Bun B, Devin the Dude, Tela and many others.
But he wasn’t satisfied. Boxing was his first love. As a kid he wanted to box, and as he grew up he wanted to be in the presence of boxers. Ultimately he decided he wanted to break into the industry as a manager.
Around the turn of the century, Prince built a boxing gym in Houston. Then, as he often does regarding the biggest decisions in his life, he got on his knees to pray to God for a boxing world champion.
In 1999, he traveled to Las Vegas and set up a meeting with Mike Tyson, but his trip took an unexpected turn. While in a Vegas gym, Prince was repeatedly approached by a young Floyd Mayweather, who was a big fan of his record label.
Mayweather exchanged information with Prince, and when Tyson ghosted him after their meeting, Prince began working with Mayweather. Prince’s tenure with Mayweather lasted until 2003, ending due to a conflict over finances, but for Prince the highlight of the partnership was his encouragement of Mayweather to face an unbeaten Diego Corrales in 2001. Mayweather won via 10th-round TKO, after Mayweather dropped Corrales five times.
“Me and Floyd is cool right now. We’re cool. We communicate. We have a mutual respect,” Prince said. “I’m proud of what he’s done and I appreciate the opportunity that he gave me, because he gave me my first opportunity in boxing and I ain’t looked back since. … He tells me that he loves me and appreciates me all the time because he understands what I’ve done for his career as well. We’re both at a peaceful spot in our lives.”
Working with Mayweather gave Prince credibility to manage other boxers, including a number of other champions. Prince has guided Andre Ward, Winky Wright and now Stevenson. His current stable at JPrince Boxing includes more than 15 fighters, with Stevenson and rising heavyweight Jared “Big Baby” Anderson the biggest names.
“One of the key roles of a manager is to protect your fighter. And you have to protect your fighter in a combination of ways,” Prince said. “Boxing is a cutthroat business, just like the entertainment industry, and a lot of promoters have robbed fighters for decades and centuries. One of my objectives as a manager was to [stop the process] that [promoters] had been doing for years, like cheating [their boxers] out of their hard-earned money after they get in the ring and risk their lives.”
When Prince first decided to make the transition from music mogul to boxing manager, Scarface had no doubt he would be successful, based on his track record.
“Everything that James does is calculated. And it’s a lot of thinking and a lot of wisdom that comes behind his moves. Like, he don’t just do s—on the whim,” Scarface said. “The wins, the losses … everything. He already knows.”
Scarface credits Prince for helping him make it in the rap industry, after he was raised by his grandparents in the hood in Houston. Just as Prince has been the guiding light in the careers of many young boxers, he looked out for Scarface and helped him thrive. They’ve had their ups and downs over the years, mainly through business, but that brotherhood is currently as strong as ever.
“I couldn’t have made it without him and that’s vice versa when you ask him,” Scarface said. “It wasn’t gonna happen no other way.”
3:14
Boxing manager J. Prince speaks to ESPN about his close bond with rising star Shakur Stevenson. Prince, also the CEO of Rap-A-Lot records, is well respected in the music industry and has worked with Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward through the years. Video
WARD WAS 18 and had just lost his father to a sudden heart attack in 2002 when he received a cold call from Prince.
Ward had surprisingly missed a national boxing tournament, and his love for the sport was quickly fading without his father’s guidance.
Prince had heard about Ward’s potential and tracked him down. Ward, open and honest with Prince on the call, told him he didn’t know if he wanted to pursue boxing anymore. He just wanted to figure his life out.
“I think your gift is to be in that ring and I would love to see you back in that ring,” Prince told Ward. “I don’t know you, but from what I’m hearing, it’s nothing we can’t overcome.”
Their relationship grew after that initial interaction. After Ward won gold at the 2004 Olympics, he decided to sign with Prince. Ward credits Prince as being one of the folks to help him get back on track in the midst of that dark period. Prince helped Ward fall back in love with the sport.
It wasn’t always perfect. Like with Mayweather, Prince and Ward also had an uncomfortable financial dispute. In 2008, Ward filed a lawsuit against Prince after a disagreement over his contract. After being served, Prince filed a suit in return to defend his position.
The lawsuits were active for less than a month, as they hashed things out during an intense California meeting, with their pastors navigating the conversation for several hours. In the end, they came to an agreement. When big amounts of money came into the picture, the conversation had got complicated.
“I fought just as hard outside the ring, just as hard as I did inside the ring, and I just wanted J to understand that,” Ward said. “Unfortunately, it took a lawsuit to sort of get his attention, but at that point, after the lawsuits were filed, we started speaking to one another and not past one another.”
Prince has gained respect as a shrewd businessman over the years, and despite some complications in regards to financial deals, Ward says Prince truly cares about his fighters.
“J’s impact runs deep. His roots in the game run deep and the impact he has, a lot of times are not seen a lot of times, because they’re offline,” Ward said. “Trying to help individuals like myself, now Shakur and others with their personal life, their finances, their taxes, their lifestyles, relationships that they’re in and just helping them navigate those kinds of things, those things don’t hit the headlines.”
THE DEPTH TO which Prince cares about those he manages runs deep. It’s now on display with Stevenson, whose bond with Prince goes beyond business to their personal relationship.
Prince often meshes his hip-hop roots with boxing, like when he brings Stevenson and Scarface together for card games at his home.
“Oh, he’s a star. He just can’t play no spades,” Scarface said with a laugh, while speaking of Stevenson. “Helluva fighter, one of the best, but when he sits down at the spades table with me, he’s second best.”
Through stories from Mayweather and Ward, Stevenson is aware of Prince’s no-nonsense reputation. However, that hasn’t driven Stevenson to fear Prince. He respects him.
Their relationship is one of many reasons why Stevenson is in the position he’s in to challenge Herring for his crown. Prince has provided Stevenson with not only the guidance he’s needed, but the protection, too. He’s protected Stevenson from taking fights too soon, from making bad investments, from letting stardom get to his head.
After working with so many stars of the sport over the years, Prince did what he could to keep Stevenson focused on his tasks at hand. Not on a diamond chain.
“I came up as the oldest of nine. My whole dream and everything started from me wanting to provide for my family,” Stevenson said. “I guess, when you’re getting older and stuff like that, I was thinking about that chain and you’ll lose sight of certain things that are really more important than anything. But somebody like J will put you right back on track and show you what you’re doing this for. Just seeing how he is with his family, it’s just real motivation. I want to be that type of way with my family when I get older and up in age.
“It’s way deeper than business. J looks at me like family. It feels like to me that he treats me like his own son,” he added. “He’s got his own sons out here, so the fact that I feel like he treats me like his own son makes me feel good and welcome to even be around him.”
Following a busy, 10-game Tuesday night in the NHL, it’s a relatively quiet five-game evening on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, there are playoff and draft lottery ramifications aplenty, so let’s hit all five matchups rapid fire:
Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning
7 p.m. (ESPN+)
While the Leafs appear destined for a top two spot in the Atlantic, they can still be caught by the Lightning for the No. 1 seed. If the Lightning are going to do it, a game like this is a prime opportunity to make up ground with a regulation win.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
7:30 p.m. (TNT)
The Rangers lost their two most recent games by a combined score of 9-1, and their playoff hopes are dwindling quickly. A win over the Flyers would be a good step in potentially climbing back into the playoffs. Philly is fourth in the draft lottery order heading into this matchup — and bear in mind they also own the first-round picks of the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers.
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild
8 p.m. (ESPN+)
Speaking of occupying a great place in the draft lottery order, the Sharks are No. 1, and are four points clear of the Chicago Blackhawks for that spot. The Wild are holding on to the second Western wild-card spot, and enter the evening four points up on the Flames.
St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers
10 p.m. (TNT)
The Blues’ 12-game winning streak came to a halt on Monday at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and they’ll be looking to start another one here against the Oilers. St. Louis is in the first wild-card position, two points ahead of the Wild. The Oilers appear to be a lock for the No. 3 spot in the Pacific, bringing on a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth straight postseason.
Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks
10 p.m. (ESPN+)
Calgary’s chances to jump into wild-card position have faded recently, so getting two points out of this game is crucial. As noted above, they are four points back of the Wild for that final spot. The Ducks enter the contest in the No. 8 spot in the lottery order, right in a jumble of teams between 73 and 76 points, so they can move up pretty easily based on their performance in the final five games.
With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Wednesday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Buffalo Sabres 3, Carolina Hurricanes 0
Montreal Canadiens 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Boston Bruins 7, New Jersey Devils 2
Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Ottawa Senators 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Nashville Predators 7, New York Islanders 6 (OT)
Vancouver Canucks 6, Dallas Stars 5 (OT)
Utah Hockey Club 7, Seattle Kraken 1
Colorado Avalanche 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (SO)
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 104.4
Next game: @ TB (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: vs. TOR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 98.8
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 94.6
Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 91.5
Next game: @ OTT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 89.2%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 5.5%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: E
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 75.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Metro Division
Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 93.6
Next game: vs. PIT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. PHI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 1.9%
Tragic number: 3
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 78.9
Next game: @ NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 75.6
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
Points: 110
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 115.6
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 106
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 111.4
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 103.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 96.5
Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 97.3%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 91
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 92.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 88.3
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 1
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 67.3
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 56.8
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 108.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 103.3
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 99.0
Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 92.7
Next game: @ ANA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 10.9%
Tragic number: 6
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 89.4
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: vs. CGY (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 76.8
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 53.3
Next game: @ MIN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 28
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway