WBC Strips Shakur Stevenson

Fee Dispute at the Center

In subsequent posts on X, Stevenson suggested the real reason behind the stripping was his refusal to pay a $100,000 WBC fee tied to his bout with Lopez despite the fact that no WBC belt was at stake in the fight.

“100k to some crooks who don’t deserve it?” Stevenson wrote. “Nah Leilani his daughter I rather gave it to u baby girl. The WBC didn’t even have s*** to do with this fight and it’s eating them alive. Take your belt it don’t make me.”

Stevenson also referenced the WBC’s highly publicized conflict with his close friend and mentor Terence Crawford, who sharply criticized WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman for demanding a $300,000 sanctioning fee following Crawford’s unanimous decision win over Canelo Álvarez in September.

Crawford now retired as a five-division champion refused to pay the fee, noting it exceeded what the IBF, WBA, and WBO charged for sanctioning the undisputed super middleweight title fight.

“And I just paid these dudes after my last fight,” Stevenson added. “What the hell I’m giving y’all 100k right now for? Because y’all got beef with Bud, so come at me for it.”

Dominance in a New Division

Controversy aside, Stevenson’s performance against Lopez was widely praised as the best of his eight-year professional career. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist controlled the fight from start to finish, using a sharp jab, elite footwork, and ring IQ to neutralize Lopez’s offense over 12 rounds.

Judges Max DeLuca, Eric Marlinski, and Steve Weisfeld all scored the bout 119-109 for Stevenson.

Stevenson originally won the WBC lightweight title in November 2023. Gutting through hand and shoulder injuries to outpoint Edwin De Los Santos in Las Vegas. While critics lambasted his cautious approach. Stevenson defended the belt three times, most notably a statement win over William Zepeda on The Ring III undercard last July, where he stood his ground and dominated the aggressive Mexican southpaw.