“I think people so ignorant to where they don’t even understand that for me like with Zuffa right they got one belt right just one belt. How would that not help clean the sport of boxing?” Shakur said to the Daily Mail. “That would be very helpful for the sport of boxing.”
Shakur also criticized the current landscape, which includes champions from the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO.
“If we have four different belt organizations, then fans going to complain that this champion not fighting this champion, this champion not fighting, and this mandatory. It becomes a whole clown show,” Shakur said.
The WBO light welterweight champion’s comments are notable because his own path to a title at 140 pounds came under the current system.
After moving up from lightweight, Shakur challenged Teofimo Lopez for the WBO title without first fighting many of the division’s leading contenders. A one-belt structure built around rankings would likely require fighters to move through the contender ladder before receiving a title shot.
If boxing adopted a true one-belt model across the sport, Shakur could find himself having to earn championship opportunities against contenders such as Ernesto Mercado, Andy Hiraoka, Gary Antuanne Russell, Alberto Puello, Dalton Smith, and Oscar Duarte.
Each presents a different challenge. Mercado has emerged as one of the division’s hardest punchers while also showing impressive hand speed. Hiraoka brings size and power. Russell is regarded as one of the division’s most aggressive pressure fighters. Smith, Puello, and Duarte have all established themselves as legitimate contenders.
The same issue would exist if Shakur returned to lightweight. Floyd Schofield, Gervonta Davis, Andy Cruz, Raymond Muratalla, and William Zepeda would all likely be in the mix for title contention.
Zepeda’s pressure created difficult moments during his fight with Shakur last year, raising questions about how a one-belt system would affect fighters who currently have multiple routes to a championship opportunity.
Despite that, Stevenson remains convinced that a one-belt structure would improve boxing.
“I think everybody will fight each other that way,” Shakur said.
The question is whether Stevenson would face a deeper and more dangerous road under the system he is advocating than the one that helped him capture titles at 135 and 140 pounds.
