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Shakur Stevenson called out by undefeated champion: “He hasn’t fought someone like me”

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Shakur Stevenson delivered a performance of the year candidate in January, and now one reigning world champion has called for a shot at the pound-for-pound star, hoping to hand the Newark southpaw a first career defeat.

Stevenson schooled Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden at the beginning of the 2026 calendar, but the WBO super-lightweight world champion has not yet defended his belt and his recent move to Zuffa Boxing has some fight fans believing that he never will.

In recent weeks, Stevenson had been linked to a showdown against WBO welterweight ruler Devin Haney, with a 144lb catchweight affair being suggested for the undefeated American duo, but Haney has since moved on to a potential unification against IBF champion Liam Paro.

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In an interview with ProBox TV, IBF lightweight world champion Raymond Muratalla has now explained that he would love the opportunity to take on Stevenson.

“Absolutely, I think it only makes sense now. It is something that we have been wanting, that has never gone through. At this point, that would be something that the fans would love to see, something that he would love and yeah, it only makes sense. 

“Hopefully it happens naturally and we don’t gotta do all the extra bulls**t. 

“The style that I display [makes me dangerous for Shakur], I adjust and I am overall a very complete fighter. He has never faced a fighter like me and it would be a good fight for the fans.”

Muratalla defeated Robson Conceicao in a first defence of his title earlier this month, but soon unveiled plans to move up to super-lightweight, where he may well be installed as the WBO’s #1 contender.

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As a result, Muratalla seems to be the most likely opponent for Stevenson at present and the undefeated Californian remains hopeful that the bout could take place before the end of 2026.

“I would love for it to happen by the end of this year, that would be ideal. I want to be active, I feel good, I feel amazing, actually. So, hopefully by the end of this year, but I have no date or anything planned yet.”

Once Muratalla’s move up in weight is confirmed, it is believed that Russia’s Artur Subkhankulov and Belarus’ Dmitry Asanau will complete for the vacant IBF lightweight world title in a meeting of two undefeated 135lbers.

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Sports

The Bloodline forced major WWE faction to change their name

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11 minutes ago

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13 August 2026

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A major WWE faction had to change its name due to The Bloodline. Roman Reigns has reformed The Bloodline on WWE RAW alongside The Usos and Jacob Fatu.

Speaking with Simon Miller on Under the Mat, Ridge Holland shared the original name for The Brawling Brutes faction. He noted that they were originally supposed to be called The Bloody Brutes, but that name got dropped as it was too similar to The Bloodline.

“I think originally it was supposed to be the Bloody Brutes, but we couldn’t be the Bloody Brutes because of the Bloodline,” said Holland. (H/T: WrestleTalk)

You can check out the full interview in the video below:

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Ridge Holland exited the company last year after WWE informed him they would not be renewing his contract. The 38-year-old was out of action due to an injury when he learned his time at the company was coming to an end.

He returned to the ring last month at Maximum Pro Wrestling in England. Sheamus was the leader of The Brawling Brutes faction but is also set to become a free agent later this year. The Celtic Warrior reportedly declined a restructured contract offer from the promotion.

Ridge Holland criticizes WWE following his release

Wrestling veteran Ridge Holland criticized WWE following his departure from the company.

Speaking on the Wrestling Pedigree podcast, Holland went off on the promotion when asked about the company releasing talent. He suggested that they did not care about the people on the roster and that it was bad business.

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“I think it’s bad business practice. I think it shows that you don’t care about your talent. It shows you don’t care about human beings. These people got hurt working for you… I just don’t think you can treat humans like that, especially when we’re putting our bodies on the line for you guys. I think that there needs to be better standards and practices when it comes to looking after talent,” Holland said.

Ridge Holland announces that his WWE contract will not be renewed when it expires on November 14th

Big E’s in-ring career came to an end during a match against Ridge Holland and Sheamus on the March 11, 2022, edition of SmackDown. Holland went for an overhead Suplex outside the ring, and Big E suffered a broken neck and was never able to return to the ring.