Matchroom Boxing had high hopes when they signed 24-year-old Indian Olympian Nishant Dev earlier this year, making him the first Indian fighter under Eddie Hearn’s British promotion. Dev wasted no time making history again, becoming the first Indian boxer to debut professionally in the U.S., where he stopped Alton Wiggins in the very first round on the undercard of Diego Pacheco vs. Steven Nelson in January. After two more wins in June and July, Nishant Dev had stamped his position as a rising prospect in the super welterweight division. And it didn’t go unnoticed.

Taking to X, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh revealed his plan to have Dev feature on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford undercard beside other hungry young fighters deserving of the spotlight. However, despite the shoutout from the figurehead of the Riyadh Season, only Christian Mbilli, Mohammed Alakel, and Reito Tsutsumi made the cut for the undercard from the original list of fighters he expected to have. So why wasn’t Nishant Dev part of one of the biggest boxing events of recent times? Sitting down with our host, Andrew Whitelaw, for an EssentiallySports exclusive, Dev opened up on why he didn’t make the cut.

Nishant Dev still ‘hopeful’ of featuring on a Riyadh Season card

Though he couldn’t be part of the event, for him, just having HE Turki Alalshikh mention his name was enough validation. “He called out my name, and he wants to see me in his card. Hopefully, we will do something in future,” he admitted gleefully. As for why he wasn’t included, the 3-0 fighter had only one explanation.

“I think Canelo vs. Crawford the card is already full. Maybe that’s why I didn’t go in that card. But hopefully, in future, he will take me in one of his card, and I am going to prove myself that I am really the best,” the Olympic quarterfinalist explained. With Matchroom’s roster stacked with stars like Anthony Joshua, Dmitry Bivol, Jesse Rodriguez, Jai Opetaia, Jaron Ennis, and Edgar Berlanga, Nishant Dev sees himself walking the same path, steadily building his résumé one fight at a time.

And why wouldn’t he be confident? The Karnal, Haryana native already envisions himself as India’s very own Shakur Stevenson.

The young Olympian sees shades of Shakur Stevenson in himself

Nishant Dev finds himself most inspired by the former Matchroom star and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. Dev holds the three-division champion in the highest regard, calling him one of the modern greats. “Right now, my Matchroom boxer is Shakur Stevenson. He’s in with Matchroom so he’s one of my great boxers in list,” the 24-year-old Olympian had revealed earlier this year in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

Nishant Dev’s admiration runs deeper than just fandom. He sees parallels between his own style and Stevenson’s, which helps shape his training. “He’s southpaw, I’m southpaw too. The way he plays, Indian people think I play same, like Shakur. So when he spars, I see myself in him. And the way he boxes, I feels like I box like that. So it’s like good to be see him sparing and training,” Nishant explained, crediting Stevenson’s unique fighting style as a guide for refining his own skills.

At just 24, Dev carries big dreams. He hopes to one day become a world champion and believes he has both the talent and drive to achieve it. He also remains optimistic that the next time His Excellency Turki Alalshikh builds a major card, his name will be part of it.