Shakur Stevenson makes surprise move to sign with Zuffa Boxing

Halfway through its first year as a promotion, Zuffa Boxing made a major splash on Thursday by announcing its biggest signing to date in the form of unbeaten, four-division champion Shakur Stevenson.  

UFC CEO and president Dana White made the announcement public on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that the 29-year-old Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist and current WBO titleholder at 140 pounds, had joined a growing Zuffa roster that already includes Jai Opetaia, Conor Benn, Edgar Berlanga, Richardson Hitchins, Jason Moloney and Jose Valenzuela. 

“Line them up, one by one, and I’ll beat all the top guys once I get them in front of me,” Stevenson said in a press release. “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.”

Stevenson, a fixture in the top 10 of most P4P lists, has captured world titles in four divisions between 126 and 140 pounds and owns title victories over the likes of Jamel Herring, Oscar Valdez, Robson Conceicao, Edwin De Los Santos and William Zepeda. 

In January, Stevenson scored his biggest victory to date inside New York’s Madison Square Garden when he moved up to junior welterweight and pitched a near shutout by dominating WBO champion Teofimo Lopez. 

“Shakur is one of the best P4P fighters in the world,” White said. He’s 29, 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.”

A slick southpaw with the rare ability to be able to stand in front of opponents and deliver clean punches without getting hit in return, the native of Newark, New Jersey, is among the best defensive and most technical boxers on the planet today. 

Stevenson, who turned pro in 2017, was forced to constantly move up in weight after being avoided by many of the big names in each of his divisions. 

Although details about his contract and a debut date were not made public, Stevenson was recently called out by Valenzuela, a Zuffa lightweight boxer and former 140-pound titleholder, following his June knockout of De Los Santos, a former Stevenson opponent who went the distance with him, in their rematch.