At this point, can Shakur Stevenson do anything to please his fans? Well, his latest move clearly isn’t it! The Newark native just dominated Teofimo Lopez last month in a fight many predicted would be a 50-50 affair, becoming the new WBO super lightweight champion. But now, his sights are set on a new challenge—Ryan Garcia.

The undefeated star hopped on X earlier today to call out rival Ryan Garcia for a fight. “144 Ryan let’s do it.. I’ll be at your fight now scrub! VADA will be involved, so don’t run from that,” Stevenson wrote. ‘King Ry’ is set to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But his goal is, or was, someone else. 

The Victorville native is looking to bounce back from his loss to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero in May last year. And the Barrios fight is largely being looked at as a stepping stone for Garcia to set up a unification with rival Devin Haney, who currently holds the WBO welterweight belt. The pair previously fought in April 2024 with dramatic consequences.

Garcia dropped Haney three times en route to a majority decision win. However, VADA found Ostarine in his system in the aftermath, which resulted in the fight getting turned into a no-contest, and Haney suing Garcia. Team Haney had hoped to have a rematch once Garcia defeated Romero, but since that didn’t happen, the lawsuit and rematch fell apart. 

But there’s another twist in the story. Haney claimed he is no longer interested in the fight. “Ship sailed when he dropped outta VADA testing,” Haney wrote on X. However, Garcia maintains that he has enrolled with VADA and is obliging with testing before the Barrios fight. He even provided proof via a confirmation letter from VADA, which showed he had cleared the test.

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But anyway, this clears the path for Shakur Stevenson to pick up a fight against Garcia. However, fans don’t appear to be big fans of that idea. 

Shakur Stevenson vs. Ryan Garcia fails to win over fans

Stevenson, of course, will have to move up a weight class for the fight. So, this user challenged him to avoid adding a rehydration clause in the fight contract. “No rehydration clause,” the user commented. A rehydration clause in boxing is a contractual stipulation added to a fight agreement that limits how much weight a fighter can regain after the official weigh-in and before the actual fight.

The next user questioned why not fight another super lightweight. “Why not call out another 140 champ. You [are] soft,” the user claimed. IBF champion Richardson Hitchins could be a great fight for Stevenson. Hitchins is fighting Oscar Duarte on the Garcia vs. Barrios undercard. 

Meanwhile, this user accused Stevenson of avoiding truly tough opponents. “In the UFC, the best fight the best. Why fight Ryan? Because he’s the money fight?” the user asked. Not necessarily. UFC’s No.1 lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan, was recently snubbed for the vacant interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, where the winner could face the champion, Ilia Topuria. 

Regardless, even the next user accused Stevenson of chasing easy fights. “So u seeking out the easiest work? Gotchu champ!” the user commented. Stevenson could also face Keyshawn Davis, but, conveniently, both have refused to do so because they are close friends and consider each other brothers. 

But this user wasn’t satisfied with that explanation. “Go convince ur lil brother to fight Haney next—this should all be on the same card, winner fights winner, no excuses,” the user wrote. While Stevenson and Davis might not mind fighting on the same card, they won’t entertain fights that may lead them to face each other. 

Whether this backlash from fans would force Shakur Stevenson to seek a fight elsewhere is yet to be seen. But for now, he appears adamant about adding ‘King Ry’ to his hit list. What do you think about this potential fight?