Shakur Stevenson leaves Zuffa Boxing after fights fail to materialise

Shakur Stevenson says he has been released by Zuffa Boxing, ending his three-month association with the Dana White-led promotion without having fought under its banner.

The unbeaten WBO super-lightweight champion announced the split on Monday, saying he had spent eight weeks preparing for bouts that did not materialise. Stevenson requested his release and said it was granted over the weekend, making him a free agent.

“I’ve been in camp for like eight weeks, preparing for fights that I was told was going to happen and have not happened,” Stevenson said. “It is what it is. This is the business of boxing. I’m not mad at anyone, I’m not pointing fingers, but upon all these issues and things that have been going on, I requested to be released from Zuffa Boxing.”

“Now over the weekend, my request has been granted, and now I am officially a free agent.”

Zuffa Boxing had not publicly commented on Stevenson’s departure at the time of his announcement.

Stevenson, 29, joined the organisation in July, six months after defeating Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden on January 31. The victory, in his first fight at 140lbs, earned him the WBO and Ring titles and made the former Olympic silver medallist a four-division champion.

He has not fought since beating Lopez and remains unbeaten at 25-0, with 11 knockouts. Before joining Zuffa, Stevenson had worked with Matchroom Boxing for three fights following the end of his long-term promotional relationship with Top Rank.

His move to Zuffa made him one of the new organisation’s most prominent signings, but attempts to secure his next fight proved unsuccessful. Talks over a proposed bout with WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney did not produce an agreement, with the negotiations becoming caught up in disagreements over weight and rehydration terms. The two unbeaten Americans subsequently blamed each other on social media.

Separate discussions for a unification fight with WBA super-lightweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell also ended without a deal.

Rather than immediately seeking another exclusive promotional agreement, Stevenson intends to direct his career through his own company while remaining open to outside partnerships.

“I am now taking my career in my own hands and I’m starting my own promotional company,” he said, adding that he would consider co-promotional arrangements and working with other promoters and broadcasters.

Stevenson also made clear that he intends to remain at lightweight or super-lightweight for now, despite the negotiations with Haney and calls for him to move permanently into the welterweight division.

“The mission is still the same,” Stevenson said. “I want the biggest and best fights at 135 and 140 pounds, where I hold my title. It doesn’t matter who you put in front of me, none of these guys can beat me. Give it a year or two, we’ll get to 147. Everybody is pressing me to be a 147-pounder. I will get there, but on my time and not on nobody else’s.”