Shakur Stevenson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shakur Stevenson
Stevenson at the 2016 Olympics
Statistics
Real name	Ash-Shakur Nafi-Shahid Stevenson
Rated at	Featherweight Super featherweight Lightweight
Height	5 ft 8in
Reach	68 in
Born	(1997-06-28) June 28, 1997 (age 28) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	24
Wins	24
Wins by KO	11
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Bantamweight Youth Olympic Games Gold 2014 Nanjing Flyweight Youth World Championships Gold 2014 Sofia Flyweight

Ash-Shakur Nafi-Shahid Stevenson (born June 28, 1997) is an American professional boxer. He has won many world championships in three different weight classes: featherweight, super featherweight, and lightweight. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title since 2023. Before becoming a professional, he was an amateur boxer and represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics. There, he won a silver medal in the bantamweight category.

Shakur Stevenson's Boxing Journey

Starting as an Amateur Boxer

Shakur Stevenson started training in boxing when he was just five years old. His grandfather, Wali Moses, was his first coach. Shakur was also inspired by famous boxer Andre Ward.

He had a very successful amateur career, especially when he was young. He won the 2014 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in 2014. In 2015, at age 18, he won the senior U.S. Olympic trials. This meant he qualified to join the U.S. boxing team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the Olympics, Shakur won a silver medal. He lost to Robeisy Ramírez from Cuba in the final match for the gold medal. He was the highest-ranking male boxer for the United States at those Olympics.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Shakur Stevenson became a professional boxer on February 9, 2017. He signed a contract with a company called Top Rank. He also chose Andre Ward, his inspiration, to be his manager.

Early Professional Fights

Shakur's first professional fight was on April 22, 2017, against Edgar Brito. Shakur showed off his quickness, defense, and punching skills. He won the fight in the fifth round because Brito was cut and couldn't continue. Shakur was ahead on all the judges' scorecards.

He then fought at Madison Square Garden on May 20, 2017. He won that fight in the first round against Carlos Suarez. Shakur continued to win his early fights, showing he was a talented new boxer. He won against David Michel Paz and Oscar Mendoza in 2017. In 2018, he easily won against Juan Tapia, showing how much his defensive skills had improved.

Winning His First World Title

In August 2019, Shakur was ordered to fight Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO featherweight title. This title was empty because the previous champion, Óscar Valdez, had moved to a different weight class. The fight happened on October 26, 2019, in Reno, Nevada. There was some tension between the two boxers because Gonzalez's sister was dating Stevenson.

Shakur Stevenson won the fight against Gonzalez by a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight heavily in his favor. After this win, Shakur became the first male boxer from the 2016 Rio Olympics U.S. team to win a world title. On July 9, 2020, Shakur gave up his WBO featherweight title because he decided to move up to the super featherweight division.

Moving to Super Featherweight

Shakur made his debut in the super featherweight division on June 9, 2020. He won by knockout in the sixth round against Felix Caraballo.

Big Fights at Super Featherweight

In December 2020, Shakur fought Toka Khan Clary. He won this fight easily, with all judges scoring it 100-90 in his favor. Shakur landed many more punches than Clary.

In June 2021, Shakur fought Jeremiah Nakathila for the vacant WBO interim junior lightweight title. Shakur won by a unanimous decision, even knocking Nakathila down in the fourth round. However, some boxing experts felt Shakur didn't throw enough punches during the fight. Shakur himself admitted he wasn't happy with his performance.

Becoming a Two-Division World Champion

In October 2021, Shakur challenged Jamel Herring for the full WBO junior lightweight title. The fight took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though Herring was the champion, Shakur was seen as the favorite to win.

Shakur put on an amazing performance, showing off his incredible hand speed. He defeated Herring by technical knockout in the tenth round, becoming a world champion in two different weight classes. After his victory, Shakur said he wanted to become a "superstar" in boxing.

Unifying Titles Against Óscar Valdez

On April 30, 2022, Shakur had a big fight against WBC champion Óscar Valdez. This was a unification bout, meaning the winner would hold titles from multiple boxing organizations. Shakur dominated the fight, using his jab and footwork to control Valdez. He even knocked Valdez down in the sixth round.

Shakur won by a unanimous decision, adding the WBC and vacant The Ring super featherweight titles to his WBO belt. This made him a unified champion. After the fight, Shakur even proposed to his girlfriend in the ring!

Missing Weight and Moving Up

Shakur's next fight was on September 23, 2022, against Robson Conceição. However, Shakur missed the weight limit for the super featherweight division. Because of this, he was stripped of his WBC, WBO, and The Ring titles before the fight. Even though he won the fight by unanimous decision, the titles remained vacant. After the fight, Shakur announced he would move up to the lightweight division because he could no longer make the junior lightweight limit.

Conquering the Lightweight Division

Earning a Title Shot

After moving to lightweight, Shakur was ordered to fight for a chance at the WBC lightweight title. After a few other boxers turned down the fight, Shuichiro Yoshino accepted the challenge. They fought on April 8, 2023, in Newark, New Jersey. Shakur won the fight by technical knockout in the sixth round. He landed 50% of his punches and dominated with his speed and accuracy. This win earned him a shot at the WBC lightweight title.

Becoming a Three-Weight World Champion

On November 16, 2023, Shakur Stevenson fought Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight title. The fight took place in Paradise, Nevada.

Shakur won the fight by unanimous decision, becoming a world champion in three different weight classes. However, the fight was very slow, with not much action from either boxer. Fans even booed during the match. Shakur later apologized to his fans and boxing idols for his performance.

In January 2024, Shakur briefly announced his retirement from boxing at age 26 on social media, but he later returned to the sport.

Defending His Lightweight Title

Shakur made his first defense of the WBC lightweight title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. Shakur won the fight by unanimous decision. He landed many more punches than Harutyunyan and controlled the fight. After the fight, Shakur explained that it's hard to put on an exciting show when his opponent isn't trying to fight back much.

New Promoter and Future Fights

After his contract with Top Rank ended, Shakur Stevenson became a free agent. In August 2024, he signed a new deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. He said he wants to fight the biggest names in the sport.

Shakur was scheduled to fight Joe Cordina in October 2024, but he suffered a hand injury and the fight was canceled.

In February 2025, Shakur was set to defend his WBC lightweight title against Floyd Schofield. However, Schofield had to withdraw from the fight due to illness. Shakur then fought Josh Padley instead. Shakur won by TKO in the ninth round, dropping Padley three times with body shots. After the win, Shakur called out WBA champion Gervonta Davis for a unification fight. Padley was praised for stepping in and was rewarded with a new promotional deal.

On July 12, 2025, Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his WBC lightweight title against William Zepeda in New York City. Shakur showed great skill and strategy, absorbing Zepeda's punches on his arms and shoulders while landing effective jabs and combinations. He clearly outboxed Zepeda throughout the fight, winning by unanimous decision.

Shakur Stevenson's Life Outside the Ring

Shakur Stevenson is the son of Malikah Stevenson and has nine younger brothers and sisters. His father, Alfredo Rivera, passed away in 2019. Shakur is engaged to Lyric Ragston, a rapper and singer known as "Young Lyric." They welcomed their first child, a daughter, in December 2021.

In 2018, Shakur was involved in an argument in a parking garage. He was charged with a minor offense, but the charges were dropped after he completed one year of probation and 50 hours of community service. He also paid for the victims' medical expenses.

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• WBO featherweight champion (126 lbs)
• WBC super featherweight champion (130 lbs)
• WBO super featherweight champion (130 lbs)
• WBC lightweight champion (135 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring super featherweight champion (130 lbs)

Interim world titles

• WBO interim super featherweight champion (130 lbs)

Regional/International titles

• WBC Continental Americas featherweight champion (126 lbs)
• IBF Inter-Continental featherweight champion (126 lbs)
• NABO featherweight champion (126 lbs)

See also

In Spanish: Shakur Stevenson para niños

• List of world featherweight boxing champions
• List of world super-featherweight boxing champions
• List of world lightweight boxing champions
• List of boxing triple champions