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Shakur Stevenson's tenure with Zuffa Boxing has come to an abrupt end. Barely 100 days after being unveiled as the headline acquisition for UFC CEO Dana White's boxing venture, the undefeated WBO world champion revealed on his YouTube channel that he is parting ways with the promotion without having fought a single bout under its banner.
Stevenson, who boasts a pristine 25-0 record, explained that he requested his release from the contract, which was officially granted over the past weekend.
"I worked tirelessly," Stevenson stated. "I stayed completely locked in and in peak shape. I spent about eight weeks in training camp preparing for fights I was promised would happen, but they never materialized. At the end of the day, that's just the business of boxing. I'm not upset with anyone and I'm not pointing fingers, but given everything that went down, I decided to ask for my release from Zuffa Boxing. Over the weekend, my request was granted, and I'm officially a free agent. I want to let the fans and the entire boxing community know that I'm taking my career into my own hands. I'm launching my own promotional company and I'm ready to work with any promoter and partner who takes my career as seriously as I do."
The 29-year-old's multi-fight deal was announced this past July, yet he never laced up the gloves for the promotion. The financial and contractual details between the two sides were not publicly disclosed.
The American currently holds the WBO world title at 140 pounds (junior welterweight), having previously captured world titles at featherweight, super featherweight, and lightweight. In his last ring appearance in January, Stevenson claimed the junior welterweight strap by defeating Teofimo Lopez via unanimous decision.
Moving forward, the champion plans to mount successful title defenses before eventually moving up to welterweight in the future.
"I'm extremely excited about where I'm at and starting this new journey. But my mission remains unchanged: I want the biggest and most meaningful fights at both 135 and 140 pounds, where I hold the belt. The opponent's name doesn't matter — none of these fighters can beat me," Stevenson said. "I think in a year or two, I'll move up to 147 pounds where everyone has been pushing me to go. I'll get there, but it will happen on my terms and my timeline, not anyone else's."
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