Shakur Stevenson says sanctioning bodies charge fighters to keep belts

Shakur Stevenson says fighters often have to pay sanctioning bodies in order to keep their championship belts, pointing to the fees attached to holding titles in boxing.

Champions are typically required to give a percentage of their purse to the organizations that recognize their belts, a cost Stevenson said can grow as purses increase in bigger fights and higher-profile title bouts.

“They charge you to keep the belt,” Stevenson said to Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.

Stevenson said those fees are part of the financial reality fighters face once they reach championship level. Sanctioning bodies collect a percentage of purses from title fights and defenses, a system that has existed for decades across the major organizations that recognize world champions and control championship rankings.

The 27-year-old has experienced that structure firsthand during a career that has taken him through multiple weight classes. Stevenson first won a world title at featherweight before moving up to capture belts at super featherweight and lightweight as he continued climbing through boxing’s divisions.

Earlier this year, Stevenson added another championship when he defeated Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden. The victory earned him the WBO junior welterweight title and The Ring championship, making him a four-division world champion.

Stevenson did not focus on a specific sanctioning body during the interview and instead spoke generally about how the system works across the sport. Fighters and their teams must decide whether the value of holding a title outweighs the fees attached to keeping it, particularly when moving between weight classes.

Beyond the ring, Stevenson said he has also started thinking about life after boxing. “I plan on making more money outside the ring than I’m doing in the ring,” Stevenson said. Even with those long-term plans, Stevenson said competition remains the main motivation behind his career.

“I enjoy competing,” Stevenson said. “I enjoy me being better than the next person.