Boxing star Shakur Stevenson has officially signed a multi-fight promotional agreement with Zuffa Boxing. The announcement, confirmed on Thursday, represents the most significant acquisition yet for the promotion run by UFC CEO Dana White and TKO Group Holdings.
Stevenson, the 29-year-old four-division world champion from Newark, New Jersey, boasts an undefeated 25-0 record with 11 knockouts. He is currently the WBO and The Ring super lightweight champion, having secured his latest belt with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Teofimo Lopez in January at Madison Square Garden.
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Shakur Officially Signs With Zuffa Boxing
Reports of Stevenson finalizing a deal with Zuffa Boxing started to circulate in May, with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reporting about a potential deal on X.
Zuffa Boxing founder and UFC CEO Dana White joined SportsCenter to officially announce the marquee signing:
With Stevenson’s deal with Zuffa finally official, both White and Stevenson expressed their excitement about the deal (via Zuffa Boxing on X):
Stevenson, who has won world titles at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, and super lightweight, joins a growing Zuffa stable that includes Conor Benn, Jai Opetaia, Richardson Hitchins, and Edgar Berlanga. The fighter stated he chose Zuffa for its financial power and shared vision for creating the sport's biggest events.
"I'm in the money-getting business -- I like to make money, and Zuffa got a lot of money to them," Stevenson said in a phone interview with Sports Business Journal. "I enjoy fighting the best -- I want to fight the best of the best and be in big fights, and when I talked to [Zuffa], their vision was the same as mine.”
Stevenson Names His Desired Opponents
Stevenson has already identified Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis as primary targets for his promotional debut.
"My main focus right now, I would think, is Devin Haney or Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis," Stevenson stated to SportsCenter. "Them the guys that, I think, will show I’m the one.”
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While neither Haney nor Davis is currently signed with Zuffa, White agreed with Stevenson.
“Those are fights that we love too; we like them,” he stated. “There’s lots of great fights out there for him, and I’m excited about it. I’m pumped that we got him, and we got him signed, and I’m looking forward to his first fight.”
It remains unclear what weight class Stevenson will compete in, as Zuffa Boxing does not currently have a Super Lightweight (140-pound) division. Given the promotion's strained relationship with traditional sanctioning bodies, Stevenson will possibly vacate his WBO title.
White teased that Zuffa is already planning Stevenson’s next fight, stating in a press release, “This is a massive signing for Zuffa Boxing, and I’m looking forward to promoting this next fight.”
Dana White Zuffa Boxing Criticism
White’s expansion into the sport is not welcomed by everyone in the boxing world, with figures like Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, and Nico Ali Walsh staunchly against Zuffa Boxing and TKO’s backing of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act.
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Their main criticism across the board is the bill’s proposal of creating Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs) that can operate as both promoters and sanctioning bodies.
Despite disagreements, Stevenson said his agreement is a true partnership that grants him significant input into his career trajectory.
“[Dana White] wants to make the biggest and best fights possible and that’s what I’ve been in it my whole life for,” Stevenson said in his SportsCenter interview. “I want to make the biggest and best fights happen, and I want to show the world that I am the best in the world."
