During a recent appearance on Inside the Ring, Foster made that clear. “If I can’t get Sha, they know that’s who I want next,” he said. “I’m not going to shut up. I’m not going to stop coming after him until we get in the ring.”
There is no doubt that he wants the fight. It would be the biggest payday of his career and the type of win that changes his earning power overnight. The question is timing.
Foster is 32. That’s not old in boxing terms, but it’s not early either. If he wants that level of money and visibility, he needs to push hard now. Waiting for the fight to come down to 130 is unlikely to work.
In December 2025, Foster briefly held the WBC interim lightweight title at 135 pounds after beating Stephen Fulton. It gave him a foothold in a deeper division. He vacated it and returned to super featherweight instead. Staying at 130 keeps him champion. This does not move him closer to Stevenson.
Shakur moved up to 140 and is chasing bigger paydays against Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Conor Benn. The odds of him walking away from those fights to return to 135 for Foster are slim.
If Foster really wants that fight, the risk is now on the upside. That means moving to 140, where the competition is stronger and the nights are tougher.
He keeps calling the name. Sooner or later, he might have to rush it up into a weight class that doesn’t forgive mistakes.
Minutes after reiterating his desire for a Stevenson fight, Foster posted on X: “I’m the best fighter in the world!!” Trust is not the issue. If he really wants the fight he keeps calling for, the next move is a division change.
Stepping into the 140-pound field, where Stevenson now operates and where the biggest purses are negotiated, would put Foster in the same mix. One meaningful win there would do more for his cause than a year of calls at 130.
