Shakur Stevenson Publicly Rejects Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela Fight, Wants Haney Or Tank As an alternative

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Shakur Stevenson has already dominated out one attainable opponent following his transfer to Zuffa Boxing, saying he has little interest in going through fellow Zuffa fighter Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela.

The matchup had been mentioned by followers on social media after Valenzuela publicly referred to as for the battle, however Stevenson made it clear he would reject the bout if it have been supplied.

“I’m turning the fight down publicly right now just in case that they do come to the table and say, ‘Oh, we want to fight Rayo.’ Shakur will not be fighting Rayo,” Shakur mentioned to ESPN. “That will not be happening.”
Stevenson mentioned his consideration is on larger names.
“Hopefully my next fight is with Devin Haney since Conor Benn isn’t here,” Stevenson mentioned. “Or, hopefully it’s Gervonta Davis. I haven’t been calling his name lately, but now is the time to fight, so let’s do it.”
Rayo Valenzuela lately joined Zuffa Boxing and has been talked about by followers as a attainable opponent after Stevenson’s signing. Both fighters are actually beneath the identical promotional banner, making the matchup one that might have been made with out the problems of working between rival promoters.

Shakur, nonetheless, has little interest in getting into that course with an in-house Zuffa battle. His feedback point out he’s searching for marquee opponents relatively than one other battle in opposition to a fellow Zuffa boxer.
Haney presently holds the WBO welterweight title and has been linked to a number of potential opponents in current weeks, together with Shakur and obligatory challenger Keyshawn Davis. Benn has additionally been related to Stevenson, though he’s anticipated to face Ryan Garcia if negotiations for his or her September battle are accomplished.
A battle with Gervonta Davis has lengthy been one of many greatest bouts accessible under the sunshine welterweight division, however discussions have repeatedly failed to supply an settlement. Shakur seems able to revisit that chance as he begins the following stage of his profession beneath the Zuffa Boxing banner.

Ken Woods has been a senior author at Boxing News 24 since 2013, protecting the game from each angle. With years of ringside reporting, he delivers battle information, outcomes, and evaluation that reduce by the noise. Ken’s work constantly spotlights champions, contenders, and rising prospects, giving followers a pointy, educated view of the worldwide boxing scene. 

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Categories Conor Benn, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson

Boxing News 24 » Conor Benn » Shakur Stevenson Publicly Rejects Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela Fight, Wants Haney Or Tank InsteadLast Updated on 2026/07/10 at 6:54 PM