Four-division champion Shakur Stevenson says he is free from his promotional contract with Zuffa Boxing before he even had one fight under the deal. The reigning WBO 140-pound champion released a YouTube video stating: "I've been in camp for like eight weeks preparing for fights that I was told was going to happen and have not happened. It is what it is, this is the business of boxing. I'm not mad at anyone, I'm not pointing no fingers. But upon all of these issues and things going on, I requested to be released from Zuffa Boxing. Now over the weekend, my request has been granted and I am officially a free agent. I am now taking my career in my own hands and I'm starting my own promotional company. I'm willing to work with other promoters and anybody else that's out there who is willing to be serious about my career, as I am. I'm excited to be in this position, to be starting a new journey, but the mission is still the same: I want the biggest fights available at 135 pounds or 140 pounds, where I hold my title. Give it a year or two and I will get to 147 pounds... I will get there but on my time."
The final straw in the three-month Zuffa / Stevenson relationship seemed to be that after agreeing to fight at 145 pounds, Stevenson was unwilling to move up the final two pounds to make a super fight against three-division, and current WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney as a full welterweight. Here is last week's Twitter exchange between the two undefeated champions:
Haney: "Let’s do this 145, no rehydration clause, Shakur Stevenson ... let’s see who’s the real p*ssy! December 2026 InshaAllah [God willing]."
Stevenson: "145, you got a deal!"
Stevenson [later]: "At the 11th hour, after agreeing to 144 and then 145, DeeHoe had his lawyer e-mail and say that he would only fight at 147. Big waste of everybody's time.
Haney: "You’re cap.. I agreed to 145, you went missing for days. Tried to put a rehydration clause on me. I wasted 6 months negotiating with you. I been negotiating with you since I was gonna sign to Zuffa. Y'all did every thing for this fight not to happen, even tried to throw [ex-lightweight title holder] Keyshawn [Davis] in my way."
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE
JULY 10, 2026: Zuffa boxing announced a huge signing on Thursday, coming to terms with undefeated, four-division champion Shakur Stevenson. Zuffa social media provided the following quote from the 29 year-old Stevenson: "Now that I'm with Zuffa, we can make any fight happen. There are no restrictions. Boxing ain't the same anymore. Zuffa is about the best fighting the best. So, let's do it." Stevenson's last fight was in February in New York City's Madison Square Garden. In that outing, he won the world junior welterweight championship, routing Teofimo Lopez over twelve one-sided rounds. All three judges agreed on a tally of 119-109 for Stevenson (27-0 including the World Series of Boxing). Punchstat numbers favored Stevenson by a wide margin, 165-72 in punches landed.
