Boxing
WBO Orders Stevenson–Muratalla Talks With November 16 Deadline
The WBO has ordered negotiations for Shakur Stevenson to face Raymond Muratalla. A purse bid would follow if the sides cannot agree.
The WBO has ordered Shakur Stevenson and Raymond Muratalla to begin negotiations for a junior welterweight championship fight, setting November 16 as the deadline to reach an agreement. The order creates a negotiating process without establishing a fight date or venue.
BoxingScene reported Tuesday that championship committee chairman Luis Batista Salas sent the letter to Muratalla promoter Bob Arum and Stevenson’s co-managers, James Prince and Josh Dubin. If the sides cannot agree, the bout would proceed to a purse bid, opening the promotional rights to competing offers.
Stevenson is unbeaten at 25–0 with 11 knockouts and has not fought since his unanimous-decision victory over Teofimo Lopez on January 31. Muratalla is an unbeaten former lightweight champion. Arum’s Top Rank previously promoted Stevenson through the first three of his four championship divisions.
The order follows Stevenson’s separation from Zuffa Boxing. Dana White had said he offered the fighter a release if he found a better opportunity elsewhere, a development covered in TSP’s earlier report. BoxingScene’s Tuesday account says Stevenson subsequently secured his release after proposed fights failed to materialize.
Those earlier discussions included Manny Pacquiao and Devin Haney. They should not be treated as completed bookings. The newly ordered Muratalla negotiations are the current development, while Stevenson’s next promotional arrangement remains a separate question.
BoxingScene also reported interest from potential new partners, including DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions, citing an official close to the discussions. Interest in signing a fighter is different from an executed agreement, and the report did not establish a new promotional contract.
The next checkpoint is November 16. An agreement would still need its event details announced; failure to agree would move the process toward the purse-bid stage. Until then, Stevenson–Muratalla is an ordered championship negotiation rather than an advertised event with ticketing, broadcast or location information.
