Shakur Stevenson says ‘no money in the world’ will make him fight one man: “I’m not doing it”

Shakur Stevenson is fully focused on next month’s clash with Teofimo Lopez – but has named one man he knows for certain he doesn’t want to face next.

Stevenson and Lopez meet at super-lightweight on January 31 for the WBO title — Lopez’s fourth defence since moving up from lightweight, where he became the division’s number one after beating Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020. He then toppled Josh Taylor at 140lbs to claim the WBO crown.

For all of Stevenson’s accomplishments — world titles at featherweight and lightweight, and a unified reign at super-featherweight — the gifted southpaw was unable to win a Ring Magazine belt at 135lbs.

Lopez claims that Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs), could have had that opportunity, when Shakur held the WBC title and Keyshawn Davis held the WBO version. Under Ring championship policy, their belt can be contested when the division’s top two fight.

In a joint interview on the Mr Verzace Podcast — Stevenson explained to Lopez why he would never face Davis.

“I ain’t gonna fight my brother. I’m not fighting somebody I came up with. Somebody I really been with in the trenches. Ain’t no money in the world that’s gonna make me do that.”

Davis has been equally adamant, crediting Stevenson for helping him through difficult periods in recent years. He has been out of the ring since beating Denys Berinchyk for the WBO lightweight title in February.

His planned first defence, against Edwin De Los Santos in June, was cancelled after Davis came in more than 4lbs overweight for the 135lbs limit, resulting in him being stripped of his belt.