Shakur Stevenson has signed with Zuffa Boxing, and the confirmation came not from the promotion but from a rival. Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, who promoted Stevenson as recently as his January win over Teofimo Lopez, told reporters on Monday that the junior welterweight champion had joined Dana White’s TKO-backed company. Hearn delivered the news at his own Matchroom press conference for Anthony Joshua, ahead of any announcement from Zuffa itself.
“Shakur signed with Zuffa, so that will be him moving forward,” Hearn said, speaking to Fight Hub TV. According to BoxingScene, the move is not yet official, though two people familiar with the talks described an announcement as imminent. Zuffa has tended to confirm its larger signings at its own events, which left Hearn, for now, as the public source on the deal.
The signing had been reported for weeks. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated first reported in early May that Stevenson was finalizing terms after leaving Top Rank, and White hinted at it at the Zuffa Boxing 06 press conference on May 10, replying “No? Possibly” when asked whether the promotion had announced him.
Stevenson, 28, is 25-0 with 11 knockouts and holds the WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles, won by decision over Lopez at Madison Square Garden on January 31. He is a four-weight world champion.
Hearn praised the fighter but questioned the business behind the move. He said Zuffa pays its fighters roughly five times the rest of the market and asked who the promotion would match Stevenson against, raising the prospect of a $15 million purse for a bout with O’Shaquie Foster as an example. He called the approach unsustainable and predicted it would not last. The $15 million figure matches what Conor Benn was reported to have earned for a single Zuffa bout in February before he signed a multi-fight extension.
