Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) has revealed the two fights that convinced him to sign with Zuffa Boxing — Devin Haney (33-0, 15 KOs) and Gervonta Davis (31-0-1, 29 KOs) — with Dana White and Nick Khan personally promising those matchups would be pursued.
“What really went into the decision was mainly life-changing money. Not only life-changing money, just life-changing opportunities. Dana and Nick, they kept saying, ‘We want to get you in with the best fighters.’ The guys that they mentioned was Devin and Tank. And when I heard that, I’m like, why would I go away from what I’ve been wanting to do my whole career? I want to fight the best. I want to get under them bright lights and see who’s the best. I’m not scared of taking no risk,” Shakur
Whether those fights actually materialize is far from guaranteed. Davis has been named WBA Champion in Recess due to ongoing legal troubles and is not expected back until early 2027. Haney, meanwhile, is still navigating a mandatory obligation to Keyshawn Davis at welterweight.
Ryan Garcia represents a financial fallback if both the Tank and Haney fights fall through. However, a Garcia loss to Conor Benn on September 12 removes that option too. A Shakur-Benn fight carries nowhere near the same domestic pay-per-view weight in the United States, but Stevenson acknowledged the scale of the vision Zuffa has laid out.
“Their vision is as big as mine. I ain’t never really heard promoters with big visions like me. It’s an amazing thing, and I’m happy to be the person to lead the new school and new generation,” Shakur