Shakur Stevenson links 147 move to Benavidez Usyk jump

Shakur Stevenson says he’ll move up on his own terms, not anyone else’s timeline, after renewed calls for him to jump to welterweight.

The unbeaten four-division titleholder pushed back on the idea that he should head straight to 147, instead pointing to a much bigger hypothetical.

“On my 4th weight class now & they begging me to go to up to my 5th,” Stevenson said on social media. “But the key part is I said I will just on my time and not on nobody else time! Tell David I will go up when he go up to his 4th weight class to fight Usyk?”

The comment followed fresh debate around his next move, including criticism from Ryan Garcia, who questioned whether Shakur has shown enough to claim top status while staying below welterweight.

Stevenson’s response redirects that pressure outward by linking his own move to a far more extreme jump involving David Benavidez and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The comparison is unlikely in practical terms, but it reinforces Stevenson’s position that he won’t be rushed into bigger fights.

He has already climbed from 126 to 140 pounds across his career, taking a gradual approach at each stop and building experience against different styles along the way. A move to 147 would bring him in against naturally bigger, stronger opponents, something Stevenson has suggested would require the right conditions.

He remains firm on timing, making it clear that any decision to move divisions will come from his side rather than outside pressure or ongoing debate.

“I will just on my time,” he wrote.

The welterweight question isn’t going away, especially with Ryan continuing to call for major fights, and Shakur seems comfortable letting those conversations run while he stays at his current weight and keeps control of his next step. If Shakur stands firm, hoping Garcia will be the one to make a move, he could lose out on the fight.