Shakur Stevenson tried hard to hide his joy after the news that his WBC mandatory O’Shaquie Foster had chosen to vacate his interim title to return to 130. What a nightmare that would have been for Shakur.
Shakur’s Hidden Enlightenment
This gets rid of a thorn in Shakur’s heel because he no longer has to worry about defending against the highly skilled Foster. It was revealed tonight that Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) will vacate his newly won WBC interim lightweight title to move back down to super featherweight to retain his WBC belt.
Obligatory nightmare avoidance
“Huh? 😂 Yeah, catch me January 31st, I’m ready to take over the Takeover!!” said Shakur Stevenson Xmoments after the report of O’Shaquie Foster opting to vacate his WBC interim lightweight to return to 130.
Stevenson is still unlikely to return to 135 to defend his WBC lightweight title. But holding the title temporarily increases his cachet, his marketability. So, if he defeats Teofimo, he can bask in the afterglow of being a two-division world champion for a short while before the WBC forces him to decide.
Holding one of the belts is dangerous for Shakur’s health because there are too many predators that will come after him. He is only in money at this stage of his career and admitted it yesterday at the kick-off conference for his fight with Teofimo.
The millions Shakur got from Turki Alalshikh in his last fight against William Zepeda turned him into a monster. He was consumed with amassing more wealth. If he beats Lopez, we’ll see him next at 147, against one of these three:
- Devin Haney
- Ryan Garcia
- Conor Benn
Turki’s “Big Fight” Promise
Turki already said at the press conference yesterday that he has a “big fight” for the winner of the Stevenson vs. Lopez fight in the spring. That big fight isn’t going to be against any of the 140-pounders because none of them are marketable.
Stevenson fights WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31, 2026 in what is believed to be a career-high payday. The vulture-like Shakur chases money and sees Lopez as a vulnerable guy he can beat.
Teofimo’s vulnerabilities exposed
He openly says that he has been watching Teo for years and wants to fight him. It’s classic raptor behavior. He saw vulnerability in him centuries ago. It’s not like Stevenson had to look hard. Everyone could tell that Lopez was lame since his loss to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021.
His two controversial wins over Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz confirmed the fact that he has weaknesses that can be exploited. Teofimo’s former promoters at Top Rank wisely chose not to match him against the top 140-pounders, Gary Antuanne Russell, Richardson Hitchins, and Subriel Matias.
Last updated on 12/11/2025
