Pound-for-pound star wants all-American showdown in next outing.
In Shakur Stevenson’s last fight, he comprehensively outboxed Teofimo Lopez in a performance that vaulted him up the mythical pound-for-pound rankings and made him a four-weight world champion.
Many were expecting his next fight to be against an opponent who would further enhance his legacy, and that’s why people were confused when he called out Conor Benn in the post-fight interview.
Well, that fight was quickly snubbed due to weight disputes, so it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing that any time soon. However, Shakur has now called out another rather surprising name.
In Ryan Garcia’s most recent fight, he was dropped and beaten by Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in an upset. His previous scandals need not be covered here again, but it was his first fight back after his one-year drug ban.
The difference in performance between the Romero fight and the Devin Haney fight (when he tested positive for performance-enhancing substances) led a lot of people to think that without PEDs, Garcia was a lesser fighter.
He’ll have the opportunity to prove otherwise this next week, when he’ll take on the WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in his second fight for a world title (third if you count the bout with Romero, who was upgraded to full titlist following his win over Garcia).
The Garcia-Barrios winner has also been linked to a fight with Conor Benn, but according to social media personality Adin Ross, Shakur has expressed a desire to face Garcia in his next fight.
“I like Ryan. I’d like to fight Ryan next”, the newly-crowned super-lightweight world champion is quoted as saying.
Whether this bout actually does happen or not, it will certainly hold more weight if Garcia is to pick up the WBC title with a win over Barrios. However, the question would then be whether Garcia would be moving down and challenging for Shakur’s titles or if Shakur will be moving up and challenging for Garcia’s.
If Shakur moves up to welterweight and beats Garcia, this opens up the possibility for a blockbuster unification showdown between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney, which will pit two of the best American pure boxers currently fighting against each other, and not a soul who calls themselves a boxing fan won’t be excited for that.
“I like Ryan… Ryan Garcia next.” 👀🔥
Shakur Stevenson on facing Ryan Garcia, speaking with Adin Ross.Shakur vs King Ryan… is that the move? 💬🥊
via @adinross pic.twitter.com/uJwNdAJwpd
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) February 11, 2026
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