Shakur Stevenson Says Turki Is Changing Boxing

The WBC lightweight champion says Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn shows elite fights are becoming easier to make through cross-promotional cooperation

Shakur Stevenson believes Ryan Garcia’s September 12 title defense against Conor Benn is another sign that boxing’s biggest fights are becoming easier to make. The WBC lightweight champion credited Turki Alalshikh’s influence for helping rival promoters work together.

And Garcia-Benn is happening so it shuts down yall fake narratives fighters can fight whoever now because of Turki is saving the sport of boxing 🔥

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) July 15, 2026

Turki has played a major role in putting together several high-profile bouts over the last two years by working with rival promoters rather than keeping fighters separated by promotional or network affiliations.

The Garcia-Benn announcement is another example of that approach. The fight brings together Golden Boy and Zuffa Boxing after negotiations that at times appeared uncertain, with Oscar De La Hoya publicly expressing frustration before a deal was eventually completed.

Shakur has been one of Turki’s most vocal supporters since signing with Zuffa Boxing earlier this year. He has repeatedly praised the effort to match top fighters against one another and has argued that promotional politics have too often prevented the bouts fans want to see.

The Garcia-Benn fight now joins a growing list of cross-promotional matchups that might have been difficult to make under boxing’s traditional business model, giving Shakur another example to support his view that the sport is moving in a different direction.