Shakur Stevenson has found a new promotional home. Just months after becoming a four-division world champion, the undefeated Newark native has signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing, giving Dana White's upstart promotion its biggest star to date. The signing marks another major step in Zuffa Boxing's push into the sport, with Stevenson joining a roster that already includes Conor Benn, Jai Opetaia, Richardson Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga.
"Shakur is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world," Zuffa Boxing co-founder Dana White said in a statement to ESPN. "He's 29 years old, undefeated and already a four-division world champion. This is a massive signing for Zuffa Boxing, and I'm looking forward to promoting this next fight."
The move arrives after a career-defining stretch for Stevenson. In January, he moved up to 140 pounds and delivered a dominant performance against Teófimo López at Madison Square Garden, earning a unanimous decision to capture the WBO junior welterweight championship. The victory extended his unbeaten record to 25-0 and made him one of boxing's rare four-division champions.
Stevenson followed that win by calling his shot.
"Line them up, one by one, and I'll beat all the top guys once I get them in front of me," he said after announcing the Zuffa deal. "With Zuffa Boxing, I'm going to go after the biggest fights in the sport and I will become the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
His arrival also raises immediate questions about what's next. Zuffa Boxing currently doesn't operate a 140-pound division, making the future of Stevenson's WBO title uncertain.
That uncertainty comes after he already lost one championship earlier this year when the World Boxing Council stripped him of its lightweight title following his move up in weight. Stevenson blasted the decision publicly, writing on social media, "100k to some crooks who don't deserve it?" before adding, "Take your belt, it don't make me."
Even without the WBC belt, Stevenson's stock has continued to rise. His dominant showing against López reestablished him as one of boxing's elite technicians, and he has since been linked to potential blockbuster fights with fellow champions including Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
