History of Shakur Stevenson in Timeline

Shakur Stevenson is an American professional boxer with world championships in four weight classes (featherweight to junior welterweight). He currently holds the WBO and Ring magazine junior welterweight titles since 2026. Before turning professional, Stevenson represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, securing a silver medal in the bantamweight division.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

June 28, 1997: Ash-Shakur Nafi-Shahid Stevenson's birth

On June 28, 1997, Ash-Shakur Nafi-Shahid Stevenson, later known as Shakur Stevenson, was born. He would become a professional boxer and world champion in multiple weight classes.

Others born on this day/year

2004: Andre Ward Wins Gold

In 2004, Andre Ward won a gold medal. Shakur Stevenson was the highest-medaling male boxer for the United States at the Olympic Games since Andre Ward won gold in 2004.

2013: AIBA Junior Male Boxer of the Year

In 2013, Shakur Stevenson was recognized as the AIBA Junior Male Boxer of the Year. He also won gold medals at the Junior World Team Open and the Junior Olympic National Championships in 2013.

2013: AIBA Junior World Championships

In 2013, Shakur Stevenson won the AIBA Junior World Championships, marking a significant achievement in his amateur career.

2014: Youth National Championships

In 2014, Shakur Stevenson won gold medals at the Youth National Championships.

2014: AIBA Youth World Championships and Summer Youth Olympics

In 2014, Shakur Stevenson won the AIBA Youth World Championships and the Summer Youth Olympics, becoming the first American male boxer to win both junior and youth world titles as well as a Youth Olympic gold medal.

2015: Youth National Championships

In 2015, Shakur Stevenson won gold medals at the Youth National Championships.

2015: Qualified for 2016 Olympics

In 2015, at the age of 18, Shakur Stevenson won the senior U.S. Olympic trials, securing his spot on the U.S. boxing team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2016: Rio Olympics

In 2016, Shakur Stevenson became the first 2016 Rio Olympics Team USA male fighter to win a world title.

2016: Silver Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics

In 2016, Shakur Stevenson competed at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and won a silver medal in the bantamweight division. He was the highest-medaling male boxer for the United States at the Olympic Games since Andre Ward won gold in 2004.

February 9, 2017: Turned Professional

On February 9, 2017, Shakur Stevenson turned professional, signing a promotional contract with Top Rank and also signed Andre Ward as his manager.

April 22, 2017: Professional Debut

On April 22, 2017, Shakur Stevenson made his professional debut at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, against Edgar Brito, winning by a fifth-round technical decision after Brito suffered cuts from headbutts.

May 20, 2017: Madison Square Garden Debut

On May 20, 2017, Shakur Stevenson made his Madison Square Garden debut on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Félix Díaz, defeating Carlos Suarez in the first round.

August 19, 2017: Fight Against David Michel Paz

On August 19, 2017, Shakur Stevenson fought his second straight Argentine opponent, David Michel Paz, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo, winning by unanimous decision.

December 9, 2017: Fight Against Oscar Mendoza

On December 9, 2017, Shakur Stevenson fought against Oscar Mendoza on the undercard of Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.

July 1, 2018: Stevenson Arrested for Misdemeanor Battery

On July 1, 2018, Shakur Stevenson was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery following an altercation in a South Beach parking garage.

2018: Fight against Juan Tapia

In 2018, Shakur Stevenson's first fight was on February 16 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino's Grand Theater in Reno, Nevada against Juan Tapia, which Stevenson won by unanimous decision.

June 18, 2019: Stevenson Agrees to Deal for Dropped Charges

On June 18, 2019, Shakur Stevenson agreed to a deal where the battery charges would be dropped after one year of probation and 50 hours of community service.

August 2019: Ordered to Fight for WBO Featherweight Title

In August 2019, the WBO Championship Committee ordered Shakur Stevenson to fight Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO featherweight title.

September 29, 2019: Death of Stevenson's Father

On September 29, 2019, Shakur Stevenson's father, Alfredo Rivera, died of a heart attack.

October 2019: Won WBO Featherweight Title

In October 2019, Shakur Stevenson defeated Joet Gonzalez to win the vacant WBO featherweight title, securing his first major world title.

June 9, 2020: Super Featherweight Debut

On June 9, 2020, Shakur Stevenson made his super featherweight debut, defeating Felix Caraballo via 6th round KO in Las Vegas.

July 9, 2020: Vacated WBO Title

On July 9, 2020, Shakur Stevenson vacated his WBO title without making a single defense, moving up to the super featherweight division.

November 2020: Fight Announced Against Toka Khan Clary

In November 2020, Top Rank announced Shakur Stevenson would fight Toka Khan Clary on December 12 in Las Vegas.

April 2021: Next Fight Announced

In April 2021, it was announced that Shakur Stevenson would fight Jeremiah Nakathila on June 12, 2021, in Las Vegas.

June 12, 2021: Fight against Jeremiah Nakathila

On June 12, 2021, Shakur Stevenson fought Jeremiah Nakathila at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

September 2021: Stevenson to Challenge Jamel Herring

In September 2021, it was announced that Shakur Stevenson would challenge Jamel Herring for the WBO junior lightweight title on October 23 in Atlanta, Georgia.

December 2021: Birth of Stevenson's Daughter

In December 2021, Shakur Stevenson and his fiancée, Lyric Ragston (Young Lyric), welcomed their first child, a daughter.

January 16, 2022: Negotiations for unification bout

On January 16, 2022, negotiations began for Shakur Stevenson to have a unification bout with WBC champion Óscar Valdez.

September 23, 2022: First Championship Defense

On September 23, 2022, Shakur Stevenson was scheduled for his first championship defense as a unified super featherweight titlist against Robson Conceição, but he was stripped of his titles after missing weight.

November 9, 2022: WBC Orders Title Eliminator

On November 9, 2022, the WBC ordered Isaac Cruz to face Shakur Stevenson in a lightweight title eliminator.

January 11, 2023: Yoshino Accepts Fight

On January 11, 2023, Shuichiro Yoshino accepted the WBC's order to face Shakur Stevenson, marking the first time Yoshino would fight professionally outside of Japan.

April 8, 2023: Stevenson vs. Yoshino Fight

On April 8, 2023, Shakur Stevenson fought Shuichiro Yoshino at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, winning via sixth-round technical knockout and earning a shot at the WBC lightweight title.

July 2023: Harutyunyan's defeat by Frank Martin

In July 2023, Artem Harutyunyan was defeated by Frank Martin via unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

August 26, 2023: Ordered to Fight for Vacant Lightweight Title

On August 26, 2023, the WBC ordered Frank Martin to face Shakur Stevenson for the vacant lightweight title.

November 2023: Won WBC Lightweight Title

In November 2023, Shakur Stevenson captured the vacant WBC lightweight title, becoming the eighth boxer to win an Olympic medal and titles in three different divisions.

November 16, 2023: Championship Bout Against Edwin De Los Santos

On November 16, 2023, Shakur Stevenson faced Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant lightweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

January 2024: Brief Retirement Announcement

In January 2024, Shakur Stevenson briefly announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 26 via X (formerly Twitter).

July 6, 2024: Stevenson Defends WBC Lightweight Title Against Harutyunyan

On July 6, 2024, Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight title against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, winning by unanimous decision. This fight marked Stevenson's last bout under Top Rank as his contract was due to expire.

August 2024: Stevenson Signs with Matchroom Boxing

In August 2024, Shakur Stevenson turned down a $15 million five-fight deal with Top Rank and became a free agent before signing a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. An undercard fight with Joe Cordina was announced for October 2024.

September 11, 2024: Stevenson's Fight with Cordina Canceled Due to Injury

On September 11, 2024, Shakur Stevenson's scheduled fight against Joe Cordina on October 12, 2024, was canceled due to Stevenson suffering a hand injury.

September 2024: Schofield Pulled from Card

During the fight week, in September 2024, Schofield was pulled from the card due to illness and replaced by Josh Padley to fight Stevenson.

October 12, 2024: Scheduled Fight Against Joe Cordina

On October 12, 2024, Shakur Stevenson was scheduled to make his second title defense against Joe Cordina at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

October 2024: Scheduled Fight with Joe Cordina

In October 2024, it was announced that Shakur Stevenson would fight Joe Cordina on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.

November 2024: Zepeda Defeats Farmer

In November 2024, William Zepeda defeated Tevin Farmer, staying on course to challenge Shakur Stevenson, with a date in February 2025 being likely.

January 11, 2025: Stevenson Speaks at Ring Magazine Awards

On January 11, 2025, at the Ring Magazine awards ceremony, Shakur Stevenson discussed his upcoming fight with Schofield, stating that his experience would be the key to winning.

February 2025: Stevenson vs Zepeda Fight in Jeopardy

In February 2025, the proposed fight between Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda in Saudi Arabia was in jeopardy after Zepeda suffered an injury to his left arm.

February 22, 2025: Stevenson vs. Schofield Officially Announced

On December 2, Riyadh Season announced that Shakur Stevenson would fight Floyd Schofield on February 22, 2025, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the WBC lightweight title.

April 2025: Talks Resume for Stevenson vs. Zepeda

In April 2025, potential talks resumed between the teams of Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda. On April 8, the WBC formally ordered the fight.

September 1, 2025: Stevenson to Challenge Lopez

On September 1, 2025, reports indicated that Shakur Stevenson agreed to terms to move up in weight and challenge WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez in January 2026.

2025: Potential Fight with William Zepeda

Shakur Stevenson mentioned wanting to fight WBC lightweight mandatory challenger William Zepeda at the top of 2025.

January 2026: Won WBO and Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Titles

In January 2026, Shakur Stevenson defeated Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO and Ring magazine junior welterweight titles by unanimous decision, becoming a four-division world champion.

January 2026: Stevenson vs Lopez Fight Announced

Shakur Stevenson was set to fight Teofimo Lopez on January 31, 2026, in New York, as part of "The Ring VI," exclusively on DAZN for Lopez's WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight title defense.