Shakur Stevenson Won’t Commit To O’Shaquie Foster After Teofimo

Shakur Stevenson dismissed the possibility of fighting his new WBC lightweight mandatory O’Shaquie Foster after his clash against Teofimo Lopez, saying he already fought his mandatory in his last fight.

Shakur will hold onto his WBC 135-lb belt, even though he’s abandoned it for the time being by moving up to 140 for a payday against Teofimo. Oftentimes, sanctioning bodies strip a fighter when they go up in weight, and a mandatory challenger is waiting for their shot.

Shaquie Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) became the WBC 135-lb mandatory last Saturday night, capturing the interim title with a 12-round unanimous decision win over Stephen Fulton (24-2, 8 KOs) at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“You next!!! Don’t run nowhere, Chump,” said O’Shaquie Foster on X to Shakur.

“Oh, I’m so scared,” said Shakur. “Now I’m in the driver’s seat, I’m a lap dog. I don’t gotta vacate s***. I just fought my mandatory my last fight lol,” said Shakur Stevenson on X, responding to a poster calling him “Turki’s lapdog,” and predicting that he’ll vacate his 135-lb title and stay at 140 after his fight against Teofimo Lopez.

Why Shakur Might Stay at 140

Foster is a poor style matchup for Shakur, as fast, defensively skilled, and a superior fighter on offense. One can’t blame Shakur if he’s not eager to rush back down to 135 and defend against Foster because he could suffer his first defeat and lose his WBC title.

Foster can do everything Shakur can, but with more power, and he’s more willing to take risks. If he’s attacked, he doesn’t run around the ring like Stevenson.

That comment from Stevenson suggests he won’t decide on his WBC lightweight title until after he faces Teofimo. If things go well for Stevenson and he defeats Teo, there’s a strong possibility he won’t return to 135. He’ll stay at 140 or move up to 147, chasing an additional mega-million payday.

What helps Shakur is that he’s become one of Turki Alalshikh’s fighters, whom he uses for his events. Despite having a dull fighting style, Stevenson still keeps getting gigs on Turki’s cards, just as a similar fighter, Devin Haney, continues to be used. The two of them have fighting styles that fans criticize as being ‘boring.’ However, they’re useful for villainous purposes.