WBO Orders Shakur Stevenson to Face Raymond Muratalla at 140
The WBO has ordered its junior welterweight champion to negotiate a mandatory defense against Raymond Muratalla within 20 days.
The WBO has officially ordered junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson to negotiate a mandatory defense against Raymond Muratalla, giving both sides 20 days to reach terms or face a purse bid.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed the order, saying the championship committee voted unanimously. "The parties shall have 20 days to reach terms, pursuant to WBO Regulations," Olivieri said. A formal notice with the full procedure will follow.
Top Rank petitioned the WBO to install Muratalla as the mandatory challenger after months of failed negotiations between Stevenson and Devin Haney. Haney has since moved on to a planned welterweight unification fight against Liam Paro, leaving Stevenson without the marquee matchup he wanted.
Stevenson has not fought since taking the WBO 140-pound title from Teofimo Lopez on January 31. He has since split with Zuffa Boxing and is currently a free agent seeking a new promotional deal. He has not indicated any plans to vacate the belt.
Muratalla is a former IBF lightweight champion who gave up his 135-pound title to pursue the bigger fight at 140. He is a pressure fighter with serious pop, and he should give Stevenson the kind of sustained volume he has not faced since the Lopez fight.
If the two sides cannot agree to terms within the 20-day window, the WBO will move to a purse bid.
Shakur Stevenson spent the better part of a year chasing Devin Haney, and all he has to show for it is an enforced mandatory against a guy most casual fans have never heard of. That is what happens when you sit on a belt too long.
Do not sleep on Raymond Muratalla, though. He gave up an IBF title at 135 because he believed he could win a bigger one at 140. That is a fighter who trusts his power. And Stevenson, for all his defensive brilliance, has not fought in nine months. Ring rust is real, even for a guy that talented.
The promotional situation makes this messy. Stevenson is a free agent. Muratalla is with Top Rank, who petitioned for this order. If Shakur cannot get a deal done in 20 days, the purse bid will tell us exactly how much leverage he has without a promoter. My guess: less than he thinks.
