Just a few days after a triumphant victory over Teofimo Lopez and winning the WBO title in the junior welterweight division (up to 63.5 kg), Shakur Stevenson lost the WBC championship belt in the lightweight division (up to 61.2 kg).
The World Boxing Council officially declared the title vacant, citing its rules: a champion cannot simultaneously hold a belt in another weight category after moving up. Stevenson, who had held the WBC lightweight title since November 2023 and defended it successfully three times, moved up to the welterweight division on January 31 and dominated over Lopez, conquering the fourth division.
However, the boxer himself stated that the true reason was completely different. In an emotional post on social media, Stevenson directly accused the WBC of extortion:
“Why the hell do I owe you 100 thousand?! Because you have a conflict with Crawford, you attacked me. 100 thousand to some scammers who don't deserve it? No, I'd rather give the money to my daughter. The WBC has nothing to do with this fight, and it drives them crazy. Take your belt.”
According to Stevenson, the organization demanded a sanctioning fee of $100,000 from him for the fight with Lopez—although this bout took place in a division where the WBC belt was not at stake at all. The boxer emphasized that he had already paid fees after the previous fight and considers the repeated demand outright “blackmail,” related to the longstanding conflict between the WBC and Terence Crawford—another well-known critic of the organization, who was stripped of the title several months earlier for a similar reason.
