New super-lightweight champion has title at weight below vacated.
Shakur Stevenson’s super-lightweight debut could not have gone any better, as he put on an absolute clinic in outboxing Teofimo Lopez. In doing so, he picked up the WBO and The Ring titles and became the newest four-division world champion from the United States.
And in a rare display of unanimity, all three judges scored it the exact same way: 119-108. What’s more, they each gave Shakur the exact same rounds and agreed on the only round that Lopez won, that being the 8th.
For many reasons, it was a great victory, and it instantly catapulted Shakur up the pound-for-pound rankings. However, there were instantly questions regarding what weight Shakur would compete at moving forward, given that he still held the WBC title at lightweight. And though Shakur stated that he was still deciding whether or not to go back down to the 135-pound weight class, it appears the decision may have been made for him.
The most recent downloadable monthly ratings from the WBC lists their lightweight title as being vacant, as does the lightweight rating section on their website.
Jadier Herrera, who recently stopped Ricardo Núñez to win the WBC interim lightweight title, has not been upgraded as of right now, making it unclear if he is to be named full champion soon or if a fight with the highest-ranked contender will be made with the vacant WBC title on the line (the highest-ranked contender happens to be William Zepeda).
Whatever happens, the vacating of the title will open up opportunities for certain fighters at the weight and will perhaps convince Shakur to stay at 140 pounds and take on opponents there, of which there are a number that would make for interesting options for Shakur Stevenson.
Shakur Stevenson has apparently been stripped of the WBC lightweight title, if the WBC’s downloadable ratings and its website’s ratings page for the 135-pound weight are any indication.
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— David Greisman (@fightingwords2) February 4, 2026
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