Shakur Stevenson added a belt over the weekend — and lost one three days later.
On Wednesday, February 4, the World Boxing Council announced it had stripped Stevenson of his lightweight world championship, declaring the title vacant.
According to ESPN, the sanctioning body cited its rules on champions holding belts in multiple weight classes after Stevenson moved up to 140 pounds and captured the WBO junior welterweight title.
The timing raised eyebrows. Stevenson had just headlined Madison Square Garden and delivered one of the most lopsided wins of his career.
Days later, the WBC released a formal statement saying it wished him “continued success” and would soon outline how a new lightweight champion would be crowned.
Stevenson didn’t take it quietly. He went straight to social media and accused the organization of stripping him over money — specifically, a six-figure sanctioning fee tied to the López fight.
“100k to some crooks who don’t deserve it?” Stevenson wrote.
He doubled down in another post: “The WBC didn’t even have sh*t to do with this fight, and it’s eating them alive. Take your belt, it don’t make me.”
Stevenson also referenced the body previously stripping Terence Crawford, questioning why he should pay a fee for a fight they weren’t involved in. “What the hell am I giving y’all 100k right now for?” he wrote. “Because y’all got beef with Bud? So come at me for it.”
Before the announcement, Stevenson had been riding the momentum. He originally won the WBC lightweight title in 2023 and defended it three times. Instead of protecting the belt, he chose to move up in weight and chase a bigger challenge.
Against Teófimo López, Stevenson turned a title fight into a technical clinic. He controlled the center of the ring, worked behind a steady jab, and kept López reaching all night.
“I picked him apart and did what I was supposed to do,” Stevenson said after the fight. “This is the art of boxing — hit and don’t get hit and pick guys apart.”
The win made him a four-division champion and extended his unbeaten record to 25-0.