Shakur Stevenson

Stevenson was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, and is the oldest of nine siblings. His grandfather, Wali Moses, introduced him to boxing at age five and ran a boxing gym in Newark. Stevenson was named after rapper Tupac Shakur, who died nine months before his birth.

Stevenson has a daughter, Lei, with rapper and singer Young Lyric, whose professional name is associated with Lyric Ragston. The couple announced their engagement in May 2022, and their marriage was announced for 2023.

Stevenson became one of the United States' leading amateur boxers during his teenage years. He won the 2013 AIBA Junior World Championships, the 2014 AIBA Youth World Championships and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first American male boxer to win junior and youth world titles as well as a Youth Olympic gold medal. He was also named AIBA Junior Male Boxer of the Year in 2013.

At 18, Stevenson won the 2015 senior U.S. Olympic trials and qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He entered the Games with a 23-0 international record and won four bouts before losing to Cuba's Robeisy Ramírez by split decision in the bantamweight final. His silver medal made him the highest-medaling American male boxer at the Olympics since Andre Ward won gold in 2004.

Stevenson turned professional in February 2017 after signing with Top Rank. He selected Andre Ward as his manager, and won his first professional bout against Edgar Brito by technical decision. His early victories included stoppages of Carlos Suarez and Oscar Mendoza, as well as decision wins over David Michel Paz and Juan Tapia.

In October 2019, Stevenson defeated Joet Gonzalez by unanimous decision for the vacant WBO featherweight title. He moved to super featherweight in 2020 and won the vacant WBO interim title by outpointing Jeremiah Nakathila in 2021. Later that year, he stopped Jamel Herring in the tenth round to win the full WBO super featherweight championship.

Stevenson unified the WBO, WBC and The Ring super featherweight titles by defeating Óscar Valdez by unanimous decision in April 2022. He scored a knockdown in the sixth round and controlled the fight with his jab, footwork and defense. He later defeated Robson Conceição by unanimous decision, although the belts were vacant after Stevenson missed the division's weight limit.

After moving to lightweight, Stevenson stopped Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth round at Newark's Prudential Center in April 2023. The victory earned him a shot at the WBC lightweight championship. He won the vacant title in November 2023 by defeating Edwin De Los Santos by unanimous decision in a slow-paced twelve-round contest.

Stevenson retained the WBC lightweight title against Artem Harutyunyan by unanimous decision in July 2024. His scheduled October 2024 defense against Joe Cordina was cancelled after Stevenson suffered a hand injury. In February 2025, he stopped replacement opponent Josh Padley in the ninth round after dropping him three times with body shots.

In July 2025, Stevenson retained the WBC lightweight title by defeating previously undefeated William Zepeda by unanimous decision. He then moved up to junior welterweight and defeated Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in January 2026, winning the WBO and The Ring titles and becoming a four-division world champion.

Stevenson became a free agent after his Top Rank contract ended and signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing in August 2024. In July 2026, he signed a multi-fight promotional agreement with Zuffa Boxing.

His honors include The Ring magazine's 2021 Performance of the Year for his victory over Jamel Herring, the 2013 AIBA Junior Male Boxer of the Year award and the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Outstanding Boxer Award. Newark recognized his connection to the city with permanent recognition at the Prudential Center in July 2024, and he received the Key to Essex County in January 2020.