Shakur Stevenson is finished at 126 pounds.
The featherweight titleholder is giving up his belt and moving up four pounds to junior lightweight, his co-promoter told ESPN.
Stevenson (14-0, 8 KOs) won the vacant 126-pound title when he defeated Joet Gonzalez by a unanimous decision in October. The 2016 Olympian then was featured on the first post-lockdown card in the U.S. on June 9, when he stopped Felix Caraballo in a non-title junior lightweight fight.
Antonio Leonard, Stevenson’s co-promoter, said he could be ready to fight as soon as next month.
“I just didn’t want to keep making that weight,” Stevenson told ESPN. “I think I should be in the rankings to fight for a title [at junior lightweight] ASAP. I think I deserve it.”
Stevenson was expected to face Josh Warrington in a 126-pound title-unification bout this summer but those plans were scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Subsequent efforts to revive the matchup failed.
“You know what? Warrington didn’t want the fight to happen,” Leonard said. “Because we gave him all the opportunity. He didn’t even start acting like he wanted to fight Shakur until he seen we might go up to 130. He didn’t want to fight Shakur.”
He went on: “We’re putting all those guys on notice at 130. They can bring the belt, vacate them, because Shakur’s going to whup everybody — it don’t matter who it is. We’re taking on all comers.”
Of course, Stevenson wants to fight one of the junior lightweight titleholders – Miguel Berchelt, Jamel Herring, Joseph Diaz Jr. and Leo Santa Cruz. He has his eye on Santa Cruz.
“I want Leo Santa Cruz,” Stevenson said. “It seems all the belt holders are occupied with opponents. But I really want Santa Cruz, though. They know I’m coming for them. They see I’m on the way.”