Fight fans are desperate to see pound-for-pound stars Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis face off in the near future, but there is one reigning world champion that is hoping that he can work his way into fights with both men.

Stevenson has appeared only once during 2026 and has not fought since January, with his move to Zuffa Boxing seemingly stopping his career in its tracks, this causing him to recently force a release from his contract.

Meanwhile, ‘Tank’ Davis is winless since June 2024; drawing with Lamont Roach Jnr in his lone outing since then. Whilst external legal issues have kept him inactive from March 2025, it seems as though the return of WBA lightweight ‘champion-in-recess’ could be around the corner.

Speaking to ESNEWSWilliam Zepeda, who claimed the WBC lightweight world title with a victory over Roach back in August, said he hopes to avenge his July 2025 defeat to Stevenson.

“Yes [I want the rematch]. He’s very intelligent, left-handed, very fast.He doesn’t have a great punch, but he’s very fast; he’s very good.”

The Mexican southpaw also outlined his desire to take on Davis, believing that opportunity would allow him to ‘demonstrate his quality as a fighter’.

“With Tank, he’s a really strong fighter, but very clever. Skilful. I think it would be more of a test for me to be able to pass and demonstrate that I have the quality of good boxing.”

Davis is currently expected to take on George Kambosos Jr. when he puts an end to his ongoing 20-month run of inactivity, with that contest rumoured to take place in the super-lightweight division in early 2027.

Before Zepeda can look to secure either fight, he will face undefeated interim champion Jadier Herrera on March 13 next year.

Per the ruling, Rolly Romero’s upgrade to “super” champion in May came with the stipulation that Romero face the winner of Catterall’s (33-2, 14 KO) clash with “world” champion Shakhram Giyasov within 180 days. Three months after “El Gato” defeated Giyasov, Lopez (23-2, 13 KO) toppled Romero and “inherited the obligations previously established for the title, including the mandatory defense against Catterall.”

Rather than negotiate with Catterall, Lopez and his team “expressed their disagreement with the obligation to face the British challenger” and requested “reconsideration.” The WBA declined, noting that “as of the date of this decision, Lopez’s team had not submitted a formal request for special permission to pursue a unification bout.” Per Chris Mannix, Lopez’s team will appeal and had submitted a request to fight Ryan Garcia on November 5th.

Frankly, Lopez needs to fight Catterall or vacate. The WBA mandatory was hideously overdue, with Giyasov waiting literal years for his shot. Lopez has had months to negotiate with Garcia and nothing has come of it.

If the appeal fails the way it should, we can likely expect “The Takeover” to ditch his belt, as Catterall presents the same sort of tricksy style that bedeviled Lopez against Sandor Martin and other clever southpaws. Should that happen, Raul Curiel sits at the top of the rankings and would presumably get the call instead.

Jack Catterall could secure the ruling he wants from the WBA only to watch his biggest possible payday disappear. Dan Rafael expects Teofimo Lopez to vacate his welterweight belt to pursue Ryan Garcia if the sanctioning body enforces the mandatory order. That move would elevate Catterall to full champion status by default, leaving him stranded without the marquee event he earned.

Rafael noted on About Boxing that talks for a February clash between Teofimo and Ryan are already advanced. Catterall picked up the WBA secondary strap by defeating Shakhram Giyasov. Teofimo took on that mandatory requirement when he took the primary title from Rolando Romero, leading his team to file an appeal against facing the British contender.

Beating Teofimo in the ring does something an administrative belt upgrade never can: it forces the American market to treat Catterall as an elite player. A victory over Teofimo gives him the scalps, the broadcast clout, and the leverage to demand those massive paydays against Garcia, Haney, or Shakur. Without that signature scalp on live television, holding the WBA strap just makes him a high-risk, low-reward target whom the cash cows will happily bypass.

When George Kambosos Jr. took his lightweight belts, Teofimo did not demand an immediate rematch or run it back to set the record straight. He packed up, made excuses, and moved straight up to 140 pounds. The same pattern played out after Shakur Stevenson handed him a schooling at Madison Square Garden. Instead of working to avenge it, the camp pointed fingers, blamed outside distractions, and pivoted right toward chasing other lucrative opportunities.

If Catterall were to drag Teofimo into a grinding, frustrating southpaw clinic and take a decision, Teofimo would almost certainly wipe his hands of it, claim a bad night or bad judging, and look anywhere else. Catterall wouldn’t get a lucrative rematch clause, but he wouldn’t need one; the win itself would be the golden ticket.

Instead, if Teofimo drops the belt to chase Garcia, Catterall gets left holding a paper championship while the entire circus moves on without him. He becomes the guy holding the gold bullion’s wrapper while the treasure gets split in an entirely different room.

With the WBA just reaffirming the mandatory order today, Catterall is staring right down the barrel of a scenario where he continues to be ignored and avoided, treated as if he doesn’t exist. Even if he gets elevated to full champion because Teofimo Lopez drops the strap to fight Ryan Garcia, his stylistic profile acts like a quarantine sign for ‘The Big Four.’

For Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Teofimo, and Shakur Stevenson, Catterall represents the ultimate business nightmare: a slick, defensive southpaw who doesn’t bring American crossover pay-per-view numbers to the table.

Look at what happens to each of them if they step in with him. Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez both rely on explosive, rhythm-based offense and opponents who stand in front of them. Catterall’s step-back counters and clinching break up their timing, making them look sloppy and frustrated for 12 rounds. Even if they win, their stock drops because the fight is ugly.

Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson want to get dragged into a low-output chess match against another defensive specialist where the margin for error is razor-thin. A fight between Catterall and Shakur or Haney risks turning into a tactical stalemate that turns off casual fans and hurts their marketability.

Boxing’s top stars only take massive stylistic risks when the financial upside justifies the danger, or when a fighter’s fan base forces the issue. Catterall has plenty of respect in the UK, but he doesn’t move the needle enough in the US to force the Big Four’s hand. Holding the WBA belt without a marquee scalp just makes him an expensive, dangerous detour they can easily bypass by fighting each other in lucrative non-title or single-belt events.

The WBA possesses the authority to strip Lopez if he ignores their ruling, but sanctioning bodies hold zero commercial leverage over fighters with crossover box-office appeal. Garcia brings the WBC title to their planned encounter, ensuring the event retains championship prestige alongside massive pay-per-view interest. Catterall would gain a recognized belt, but an elevated paper championship cannot match the global profile that comes from beating Lopez live in the ring.

With Devin Haney meeting Liam Paro in December to unify the other titles at 147 pounds, immediate options remain narrow. If Lopez walks away, Matchroom must stage a local defense in the UK to keep Catterall active while waiting to approach the Haney-Paro winner down the line. That route keeps him in position for eventual unification, yet it delays the career-defining platform he thought he had locked down.