Shakur Stevenson dismisses Ryan Garcia and fires call for Conor Benn showdown

On the eve of Ryan Garcia's world-title challenge, shakur stevenson pushed back publicly, dismissing Garcia as a viable opponent and turning his attention toward Conor Benn after his recent win. The exchanges — on television, social media and in the ring — sharpen questions about Stevenson’s next move after losing a title.

Garcia headlines at T‑Mobile Arena and has been targeting Stevenson

Ryan Garcia will challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on February 21 at the T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the main event of The Ring: High Stakes fight card, live on DAZN Pay‑Per‑View. Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) is on the verge of fighting for a world title and has also been vocal about a potential meeting with Stevenson.

Shakur Stevenson pushes back on The Stephen A. Smith Show and on X

Shakur Stevenson appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show and publicly dismissed his old amateur rival ahead of talk of a potential 144‑pound showdown. Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) answered questions about Garcia and posted on his X account: “144 Ryan let’s do it.. I’ll be at your fight now scrub! Vada will be involved so don’t run from that. ”

When Smith asked how he would beat Garcia, Stevenson called him overrated and referenced Garcia’s loss to Rolly, saying: “If a guy loses to Rolly that way…The way that I saw him lose to Rolly. All Rolly did was take away his left hook. That means clearly that’s all he got. He better sharpen up his weapons before he gets in the ring with me. ”

Stevenson’s options after being stripped of his WBC lightweight title

It remains to be seen what Stevenson does next after being stripped of his WBC lightweight title. The Newark native is widely expected to stay at super lightweight or move up further in weight, and a potential bout at 144 pounds against Garcia is among the possibilities mentioned in the public back-and-forth.

Stevenson calls out Conor Benn after his win over Lopez; asked for rehydration clause

Immediately after his win over Lopez, Stevenson used the live DAZN broadcast to call out Conor Benn. On the broadcast he said: “There’s a fighter in here right now, and he motivated me too. Where’s Conor Benn?” and added, “Hey Conor Benn, we can get it banging, boy. We can get it banging!” He also requested a specific contractual stipulation, saying: “I want that same rehydration clause that you put on (Chris) Eubank Jr., and I want a fight. ”

Conor Benn confronts Stevenson in the ring and issues a challenge

Before anyone could breathe, Conor Benn was in the ring to confront Stevenson. Benn addressed the undefeated Stevenson directly: “You’re too small for me, ” Benn told him. “You’re tiny, you’re tiny. You can’t punch. You can’t keep me off of you. I’ll rough you up. ” Benn then urged Stevenson to formalize plans: “Sign the contract. Let’s make it happen. ”

Turning to his promoter, Benn shouted: “Eddie (Hearn), ” referring to his Matchroom Boxing promoter, and added, “I want him, he’s food. ”