Promoter Bernard Hopkins wants to see Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson fight at a catchweight in the first half of 2025. Hopkins likes the idea of Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) and Shakur meeting at a catchweight between 135 and 143 .
Garcia’s one-year suspension expires in April, and he will be looking for an opponent to fight on PPV when he returns. Devin Haney is no longer an option due to his lawsuit. Ryan will need someone who wants to see the boxing world fight him. Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) could be an option if they can agree on a suitable catchweight.
Shakur doesn’t have the popularity to maneuver Ryan into dropping below 140 to meet him at a catch weight of 137.5 pounds. There is a tremendous imbalance in terms of popularity between the two fighters. Although Shakur is a world champion and has won three divisional world titles, he is not nearly as popular as Ryan.
Realistically, the only way a fight between Ryan and Shakur could happen is if it’s 143. Ryan is too big to slim down to 140, and if he agreed to it, there’s a good chance he’d be overweight.
“The weight he left on,” Bernard Hopkins told the media when asked what weight Ryan Garcia will fight when he returns to the ring from his one-year suspension. “143, 147. It will depend on the fighter and who has them.”
If Shakur is confident of beating Ryan, he will agree to fight him at 143 to 147, but Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya will have to give the green light. De La Hoya may not be open to pairing Garcia against the Eddie Hearn-promoted Shakur because that would involve dealing with someone he seems to like. If Ryan were to lose to Shakur, Hearn would never let De La Hoya hear the end of it.
“Yeah,” Hopkins said of it being a catchweight. “I can tell you who I think he (Ryan) should fight when the time comes. Do you want to know? I thought you were going to ask me, but it looks like we’re not going to get there.
“Shakur. I’d like to see him fight Shakur,” Hopkins said of wanting Ryan Garcia to fight Shakur Stevenson when he comes off his suspension in April 2025. “There are no benefits. Shakur was sitting on a pond fishing, right?”
Hearn already has big plans for Shakur to fight his #1 ranked WBC contender William Zepeda in February and then a unification bout against WBA champion Gervonta Davis in the summer. Would Hearn be willing to change those plans to have Shakur fight Ryan?
“Shakur wasn’t active, right? By the time Ryan is ready, it should be, and I don’t know for sure. I could be wrong,” Hopkins said. “It should be a healing time between now and then for Shakur, right? As long as he stays healthy. Out of the gate, not pros. Would you agree? No pros for either fighter to be active.”
Shakur has brittle bird-like hands, and he could suffer another injury that will further delay his return to the ring. He has been dealing with hand injuries since last year, and it could be a chronic problem. Ryan can’t afford to bet on Shakur being healthy in the first half of 2025 because he could struggle again. A better option for Ryan would be to challenge Mario Barrios for his WBO welterweight title next. Let Shakur fight Zepeda and meet his fate.
“Meet in the middle,” Hopkins said when told that it would be a big step for Shakur to come from 135 to face Ryan Garcia between 143 and 147. “We’re in a different era right now. Nobody’s talking about weight now. You’re talking about Bud Crawford wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez.”
