Shakur Stevenson Rejects WBC Fee, Loses Lightweight Title

Shakur Stevenson made it clear he had no interest in accommodating the WBC after his win over Teofimo Lopez. He rejected the organisation’s demand for a $100,000 fee and treated the belt as expendable.

The dispute surfaced after Stevenson’s January 31 victory at Madison Square Garden, where he defeated Lopez by unanimous decision to win the WBO junior welterweight title. The bout was not sanctioned by the WBC, and Stevenson had already moved up from lightweight without indicating any intention of returning to defend that title.

Despite having no involvement in the fight, the WBC contacted Stevenson afterward, requesting a sanctioning fee. Stevenson responded publicly, dismissing the request and questioning why payment was being demanded at all.

“100k to some crooks who don’t deserve it? Nah Leilani I rather give it to u baby girl,” Stevenson wrote on social media. “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.”

He followed with a second post pointing out that he had already paid sanctioning fees after his previous bout and saw no reason to do so again. Stevenson suggested the demand had little to do with his fight and more to do with unresolved issues elsewhere.

“And I just paid these dudes after my last fight,” he wrote. “What the hell I’m giving yall 100k right now for? Because yall got beef with Bud so come at me for it.”

Soon after the exchange, the WBC stripped Stevenson of its lightweight title. The decision formalised a break that Stevenson had already signalled. He had not mentioned defending the belt again and made it clear the title did not carry leverage over his career choices.

Stevenson’s win over Lopez was decisive, producing wide scorecards and marking his fourth weight class title. The result strengthened his position at the top level of the sport, while the aftermath highlighted a familiar dispute between elite fighters and sanctioning bodies over fees tied to fights they did not oversee.

The WBC typically collects a percentage of a fighter’s purse, with an upper limit stated in its rules. In recent years, those fees have become a recurring point of conflict, particularly when applied to bouts that were neither mandated nor sanctioned. Stevenson’s refusal follows a similar path taken by Terence Crawford in late 2025, which also ended with a title being removed rather than a payment being made.

For Stevenson, the issue was not complicated. He rejected the demand, accepted the loss of the belt, and moved on. The message was direct. If recognition came with a bill he did not agree to, he was prepared to walk away without hesitation.