Shakur Stevenson has a deadline, a mandatory challenger, and a decision to make.
The World Boxing Organization has ordered negotiations for a mandatory world title fight between super lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and No. 1-ranked contender Raymond Muratalla. The organization published the order on its official website on Tuesday, October 27. The two sides have 20 days to negotiate — until Monday, November 16, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time — before the fight goes to a purse bid.
Four-division champion Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) of Newark, New Jersey, claimed the belt in January, dethroning Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden. He has not fought since that night, and he is a free agent after his release from Zuffa Boxing. West Covina's Muratalla (25-0, 17 KOs) is the former IBF lightweight champion. After making two successful defenses, the 29-year-old vacated the belt in September to move up to 140 pounds, where he is now the WBO's No. 1-ranked contender.
The order came after a petition from Muratalla's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, and the letter from WBO championship committee chairman Luis Batista Salas went to Arum and to Stevenson's co-managers James Prince and Josh Dubin. If no agreement is reached by November 16, the bout will go to a purse bid, allowing all promoters to submit offers to stage the fight.
Muratalla built his case the hard way. He won the IBF lightweight title in January with a majority-decision victory over Cuba's Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, then successfully defended his belt against another Olympic gold medalist, former world champion Robson Conceicao of Brazil, in August. The Ring ranks him as the division's top contender, and his technical ability, intelligent pressure and punching power are exactly the kind of test that can trouble Stevenson's elite defensive skills.
The order also raises questions about Stevenson's next move. His reported $15 million financial expectations could complicate negotiations, and the discussion around the fight has included whether Stevenson might vacate his championship rather than face Muratalla. With unifications off the table and his leverage thin, Stevenson now faces a mandatory defense or must give up the belt. A purse bid would technically let any promoter — Zuffa included — bid for the fight.
The DAOS take: this is the fight the division needs, and the clock is now real. Two undefeated fighters, both 25-0, one a defensive master and the other a pressure fighter with real power. Stevenson has been sitting since January; Muratalla has been earning his shot one gold medalist at a time. November 16 is six days away. Either they make a deal, or the highest bidder decides where the best 140-pound fight in boxing happens.
Sources: FIGHTMAG
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