Shakur Stevenson closes in on Oleksandr Usyk with big boost as pound-for-pound rankings released

Shakur Stevenson is now in the top three of the latest pound-for-pound rankings.

Stevenson stepped up to 140lbs to take on one of the biggest challenges of his career against Teofimo Lopez in a Madison Square Garden sell-out showdown.

Matchroom Boxing

And he delivered a complete masterclass, dismantling Lopez and winning comfortably on points, making the world champion look ordinary and snatching his title.

Immediately after the scintillating display, many believed Stevenson to be one of the best operators in the sport.

Many even compared the dominant display and slick skillset of Stevenson to that of retired 50-0 undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather.

The Newark speedster has now been rewarded for his latest phenomenal feat, with a huge boost in the Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings.

He now sits in third position and will have his eyes on those above including leader Oleksandr Usyk and Japanese star Naoya Inoue.

Stevenson will be looking to try and go for the top spot before the end of 2026, particularly with Usyk having yet to pencil in his next contest.

After his victory, it saw him leapfrog the likes of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev and Junto Nakatani.

Nakatani could be the next to try and rival Stevenson’s new position, with victory over Inoue in their planned blockbuster clash this year likely to earn him a big increase.

Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound top ten

1 OLEKSANDR USYK – 24-0-0 (15 KOs)

2 NAOYA INOUE – 32-0-0 (27 KOs)

3 SHAKUR STEVENSON – 25-0-0 (11 KOs)

4 JESSE RODRIGUEZ 23-0-0 – (16 KOs)

5 DMITRY BIVOL – 24-1-0 (12 KOs)

6 ARTUR BETERBIEV – 21-1-0 (20 KOs)

7 JUNTO NAKATANI – 32-0-0 (24 KOs)

8 DAVID BENAVIDEZ – 31-0-0 (25 KOs)

9 DEVIN HANEY – 33-0-0 (15 KOs)

10 OSCAR COLLAZO – 13-0-0 (10 KOs)

What next for Shakur Stevenson?

Stevenson was expected to try and move back down to 135lbs if he could not secure a big fight at his new division 140lbs.

But now he has taken a significant blow, having lost his WBC title at his old weight class after the governing body relieved him of his belt.

His immediate priority after his victory over ‘The Takeover’ was a shock call-out of British star Conor Benn.

Stevenson surprisingly proposed a clash by calling out the Briton, and is open to even fighting in the UK.

A fight seems unlikely given their size difference, and with Benn focused on world glory at 147lbs.

But promoter Eddie Hearn believes the fight could happen if it offers huge financial reward.

He said: “I’m looking at that fight as someone who represents Conor Benn, and I’m thinking the only bit I like in that fight is the size. 

“Because Conor has a big size advantage, and he’ll punch a lot harder than Shakur, but it’s Shakur.

“It’s a very difficult fight, but Conor’s just out of control on smoke and wants everybody.

“The Shakur Stevenson fight doesn’t come with a world championship belt (147), but it might come with a load of money, which is definitely attractive to Conor as well.”