The WBC announced Wednesday that it has stripped Shakur Stevenson of his lightweight world championship, just days after he dominated Teofimo Lopez to capture the WBO junior welterweight title Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In its announcement, the WBC declared the lightweight title “vacant,” citing the sanctioning body’s rules and regulations for titleholders and Stevenson’s status as a WBO champion in a new weight class.
Stevenson moved up to 140 pounds to score his decisive victory over Lopez on Saturday, when he became a four-division champion. He won the WBC lightweight title in November 2023 with a unanimous decision over Edwin De Los Santos and successfully defended the belt three times.
“The WBC wishes Champion Stevenson continued success in all his future endeavors, both inside and outside the ring,” the WBC said in its statement. “The WBC will provide further information regarding the process to crown a new Lightweight World Champion in the near future.”
Stevenson took to X to slam the WBC’s decision later Wednesday, alleging that he was stripped because of a $100,000 fee he did not pay the WBC for the Lopez fight.
“100k to some crooks who don’t deserve it?” Stevenson wrote in his post.
He went on to write: “The WBC didn’t even have s— to do with this fight, and it’s eating them alive. Take your belt, it don’t make me.”
Stevenson also cited the WBC stripping Terence Crawford of his super middleweight title in early December over his failure to pay mandatory fees to the sanctioning body.
“What the hell am I giving y’all 100k right now for?” Stevenson wrote on X. “Because y’all got beef with Bud? So come at me for it.”
Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs), 28, entered Saturday night’s bout as ESPN’s No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter. He made the move to 140 pounds after holding world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight.
