Shakur Stevenson Eight Months Idle as Zuffa Boxing Layoff Drags On
Shakur Stevenson has not fought since beating Teofimo Lopez and Zuffa Boxing cannot seem to get him back in the ring.
Shakur Stevenson has not fought in nearly eight months and Zuffa Boxing's marquee American signing is starting to look like an expensive passenger.
Stevenson defeated Teofimo Lopez in late January and has been idle since. He teased fans on social media this week, posting "Even my haters begging for a fight announcement. I love yall it's coming lol." But teases are all Zuffa's premier pound-for-pound star has delivered since signing.
The holdup is a combination of selective opponent choice and divisional indecision, per Boxing News 24. Negotiations for a catchweight bout against Devin Haney at 144 pounds reportedly fell through despite an agreement on weight. Stevenson also rejected a fight with Zuffa stablemate Jose "Rayo" Valenzuela, and there is no clarity on whether his future lies at 140 or 147 pounds.
Potential opponents including Conor Benn, Ernesto "Tito" Mercado, Andy Cruz, and Floyd Schofield have all been mentioned, but none have materialized into signed bouts. Stevenson called out Benn after the Lopez victory and nothing happened.
Zuffa signed Stevenson as the centerpiece of its American boxing push, but eight months without a fight undermines the promotional momentum the Lopez win generated. For a promotion already facing criticism from Eddie Hearn about fighters not getting what they bargained for, Stevenson's extended absence is a bad look.
The clock is ticking. At 29, Stevenson is in his physical prime, and every month on the shelf is a month wasted.
Eight months is a long time to be the face of a promotion without throwing a punch. Shakur beat Teofimo in January and has been posting teases ever since. I do not want teases. I want a date, an opponent and a weight class.
The frustrating part is the Haney fight reportedly fell apart after they agreed on 144. That is the fight. Skill for skill it is the best matchup available to him, and it died over details. Passing on Rayo Valenzuela does not help his case either. When you are the pound-for-pound star, you are supposed to make fights easier to make, not harder.
Hearn is already saying Zuffa fighters are not getting what they signed up for, and Shakur sitting on the shelf hands him the argument for free. He is 29. Every month idle is a month of his prime gone. Pick 140 or 147, sign something, and get back in the ring.
