Shakur Stevenson has been called out for a clash under Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing banner as reports suggest he will soon confirm he is joining the new promotional outfit.
The 29-year-old’s last outing saw him dethrone Teofimo Lopez in January, becoming a four-division world champion by unanimously outpointing his fellow American.
But despite claiming the WBO super-lightweight title, Stevenson has not ruled out a move back down to 135lbs, where he made three successful defences of his WBC strap.
The crafty southpaw has also been heavily linked with a move to Zuffa, who do not currently recognise 140lbs as an official weight class.
But, if Stevenson was to sign with the promotion, he could end up facing former world champion Jose Valenzuela, who made his Zuffa debut at 135lbs last weekend.
This resulted in a second-round knockout over Edwin De Los Santos, who won their first encounter via a third-round stoppage in 2022.
Speaking with Zuffa, Valenzuela insisted that he has always wanted to face Stevenson, who could now be a more realistic target than ever before.
“He’s a fighter that I’ve been wanting to fight since I was a young kid. Even when I was a world champion, I was like, ‘Hey, I’ll fight him’.
“I would love that fight. That’s the fight I want. I know my abilities and want to compete with the best.
“He’s a boxer first; I’m a fighter first. Styles make fights. I believe I’m his kryptonite.”
Valenzuela claimed his WBA title by edging a split decision against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in 2024, only for current super-lightweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell to dethrone him the following year.
Having since dropped back down to lightweight, though, it seems that ‘Rayo’ could soon become a key component of the Zuffa stable.
