The WBC has revealed its stance on whether Shakur Stevenson, who is gearing up to lock horns with Teofimo Lopez, can keep his world title at 135lbs.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the 28-year-old will face Lopez, the WBO world super-lightweight champion, at a New York venue on January 31. Their mouth-watering matchup will present Stevenson with the chance to become a four-weight world champion.
Until now, there has been a lack of clarity as to whether the American will keep hold of his WBC lightweight belt, which he claimed following a points victory over Edwin De Los Santos in 2023.
Often, a champion is stripped of their title if they choose to move up in weight. Stevenson – who will also be competing for another sanctioning body’s belt – will nonetheless remain a WBC world champion ahead of his jump up to 140lbs.
The WBC has, however, ordered an interim title fight between Jadier Herrera and Ricardo Nunez, who are expected to battle it out for an eventual shot at Stevenson’s belt assuming he decides to drop back down.
🚨 HERRERA-NUNEZ FOR WBC INTERIM
✅ The WBC has ruled that Shakur Stevenson can keep his WBC lightweight title as he moves up to fight Teofimo Lopez for the WBO super lightweight belt.
📈 The final eliminator between Jadier Herrera and Ricardo Nunez will now be for the WBC… pic.twitter.com/WPa1v9Utcz
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) December 3, 2025
The winner will become the WBC mandatory challenger, and is likely to be elevated to full champion if Stevenson chooses to vacate, however he has previously said that he will move back down to 135lbs. If he loses to Lopez — who has held his own title since a win over former undisputed champion Josh Taylor in 2023 — it will be a rare case of a champion retaining a belt despite suffering defeat.
