Shakur Stevenson, who beat Teofimo Lopez in January, leaves Zuffa Boxing

The WBO super lightweight champion says he is starting his own promotional company after planned fights with Devin Haney, Manny Pacquiao and Gary Antuanne Russell all fell through.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Tue 20 Oct, 14:31 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Post by @ringmagazine on X

Shakur Stevenson is a free agent after asking to be released from Zuffa Boxing, and Eddie Hearn used the WBO super lightweight champion's exit to take a swipe at Dana White.

A few hours after learning Stevenson was free, Hearn, who has been embroiled in a bitter feud with White, posted an AI picture of himself smoking a cigar while on a FaceTime call with Anthony Joshua. It mirrored a photo White posted of himself doing the same while talking to Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh in the days after Joshua's fight with Tyson Fury was officially announced.

Stevenson, 29, signed a lucrative deal in July with the Saudi-backed organisation, which White fronts. He had seemed in line to face his rival Devin Haney later this year, but talks fizzled out after a disagreement over weight, and potential fights with Manny Pacquiao and Gary Antuanne Russell also petered out. Stevenson then requested his release, which was granted immediately.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Stevenson said he had spent eight weeks in camp preparing for fights he was told would happen. He called it the business of boxing and said he was not mad at anyone or pointing fingers. He has not fought since beating Teofimo Lopez on points in January.

Stevenson said he is starting his own promotional company and is willing to work with other promoters who are serious about his career. He wants the biggest fights available at 135lbs or 140lbs, where he holds his title, and expects to move up to 147lbs in a year or two. His last three fights were under Hearn's Matchroom banner.

White has yet to comment on the departure, but a source close to Zuffa Boxing said the organisation had offered Stevenson a handful of fights and he had not been willing to accept any of them. The source added: “Shakur is a major talent but he’s in a habit of fighting once a year and we want our fighters to be active in the best fights we can make” The Hearn post targeted White's claim to a role in the Joshua-Fury 'Battle of Britain', which is set to settle the pair's decade-long rivalry in December. Hearn has long refuted White's involvement, but Alalshikh wants White to be a front-facing figure in the fight. White said: “I am producing the fight and I am here promoting the fight. I’ve been on a PR tour all morning this morning.”

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