The debate over who should occupy the position of honor in the world rankings of professional boxing remains active among analysts of the discipline. In this scenario, the American boxer Shakur Stevenson has outlined a competitive route that, from his perspective, will give him the regulatory and sporting merits necessary to consolidate himself at the top of the ranks of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Although the 29-year-old athlete already appears regularly on the most select lists of the specialized press, the majority opinion of the industry usually places champions such as the Japanese Naoya Inoue or the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in privileged positions.

Subscribe to DAZN here and don't miss the best of BOXING

This collective preference responds to the fact that both athletes have managed to completely unify the world belts in two different weight categories during their respective careers in the ensogado.

To counteract this difference in the historical record, Shakur Stevenson assumes that he must accumulate victories against renowned opponents that validate his technical ability in the higher divisions.

The fighter, who won a victory by unanimous decision against the Honduran Teófimo López at the beginning of this year, now seeks to unify criteria on his performance facing the leaders of his geographical environment.

Sights set on Haney and Davis

The definition of suitable opponents to achieve absolute leadership on the international level is the immediate priority on the agenda of the American corner. During a conversation held with the SportsCentre news program on the ESPN television network, Shakur Stevenson pointed out the two names that he considers decisive in resolving any question about his status in the payment discipline.

"Right now my main objective is Devin Haney or Gervonta 'Tank' Davis. I think they are the ones who would show that I am the one," said Shakur Stevenson in the aforementioned intervention with the North American media outlet, expressing his willingness to enter into formal negotiations to coordinate these high-profile commercial confrontations.

Although there is a prior verbal agreement to schedule a fight against Devin Haney under a catchweight of 144 pounds, the viability of this fight in the short term faces regulatory variations. The World Boxing Organization recently ordered a mandatory defense of Haney's welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis, an administrative process that is already in the phase of bilateral talks by the promotion company Top Rank.

The return scenario and the link with Zuffa Boxing

For its part, the potential clash against Gervonta “Tank” Davis requires planning that fits into the activity calendar of the World Boxing Association champion. The Baltimore boxer has not registered official presentations since he obtained a draw by decision of the judges against Lamont Roach in March 2025, estimating his formal return to the ring for the first months of the 2027 season.

The recent signing of Shakur Stevenson with the promotion Zuffa Boxing adds an element of analysis regarding the negotiation model that will be used to draft these multi-fight contracts.

The alliance with the firm led by businessman Dana White seeks to ensure the financial solvency of the events without the need to depend on the distribution channels of traditional market promoter companies.

The development of the working groups between the representation teams will determine which of these two challenges will be consolidated in the first instance within the calendar of the next cycle of competitions.

The assimilation of these sporting challenges and the unification of commercial criteria represent the guidelines that will define the status of Shakur Stevenson in his search for absolute recognition in contemporary organized boxing.