Shakur Stevenson may have signed the biggest deal in Zuffa Boxing history, but he made one thing perfectly clear on The Ariel Helwani Show: he will not be wearing their uniform inside the ring.
Photos surfaced of Stevenson in Zuffa gear following his signing, which prompted Helwani to ask about uniform expectations going forward. Stevenson was direct.
“No, not at all. I’m going to be putting on my own uniforms,” he said, adding that the company may have some input on design elements, but the final call belongs to him. “I already made that established when I talked with them.”
Helwani admitted he was “a bit devastated” when he saw the post-signing footage, pointing out that Stevenson’s personal gear has always been distinctive and meaningful. Stevenson gave no ground on the issue.
“Not at all, not at all,” he said when asked if that position would ever change.
The uniform stance is just one part of an otherwise landmark deal. Stevenson confirmed it is the most lucrative contract of his career by a significant margin, though he declined to share specific figures.
DAZN had also approached him with a substantial offer, but the timing was off.
“They kind of came too late,” Stevenson said, noting the two offers ended up being “very similar” in value.
Stevenson said he was drawn to Zuffa because of what he observed in Dana White. He described White as a motivated person who wants to outdo his competition, saying that mindset is similar to his own. With that alignment in place, he said signing was an easy decision.
The bigger storyline out of the interview was his ongoing standoff with Devin Haney. Stevenson revealed he has verbally committed to a match with Haney at 144 lbs (65.3 kg) in October, with Newark as the preferred location, and that his side has already submitted its agreement.
The hold-up, as far as he can tell, is on Haney’s end. “Sign the contract,” Stevenson said plainly when asked what message he had for Haney.
As for weight class, Stevenson said his natural home is 135 lbs (61.2 kg), though the Haney matchup at 144 lbs makes sense given the circumstances. One division he is firmly ruling out is 147 lbs (66.7 kg), saying simply that he is not a super welterweight.
