It’s a classic boxing standoff. The difference between his elite technical dominance and his commercial drawing power.
Looking at the current situation, Shakur’s rehydration clause demand could be the hill the fight dies on.
In July 2025, he shut down the relentless William Zepeda to win a wide 12-round decision. These two wins solidified Stevenson as a P4P king, but because they were funded by the deep pockets of Saudi organizers, the purses didn’t necessarily reflect his actual PPV “buy rate” in the U.S.
This creates a distorted sense of bargaining power. Shakur likely feels that, as an undefeated, four-weight champion who just “humbled” Teofimo, he is the one who should be dictating terms.
Shakur is a “safety-first” fighter, both in the ring and in business. He’s a natural lightweight moving up. Ryan Garcia is huge for 140 and 147. Without a rehydration clause, Shakur risks entering the ring against a guy who could outweigh him by 15–20 pounds on fight night.
In his mind, the rehydration clause isn’t a “demand”. For him, it’s a “fairness” measure to ensure he isn’t fighting a super middleweight.
“Oh, for sure. 100%. He wants me to be on a rehydration clause where I can’t go up to 157. You’re going to have to come to me now,” said Ryan Garcia to Creators Think Podcast.
“I’ve beaten a slick fighter already, Devin Haney, longer, stronger, and faster than Shakur. He’s never faced a guy as fast and with timing l myself.”
Ryan has something Shakur still lacks: massive mainstream popularity. Ryan knows that he is the “money man.” His victory over Devin Haney proved he can beat the elite “slick” boxers, which gives him the confidence to say, “If you want the life-changing payday I bring, you play by my rules.”
If Shakur continues to insist on a 157-pound cap, the fight likely doesn’t happen. Ryan has shown he is perfectly happy to fight other big names (or even MMA stars) who won’t put “handcuffs” on his size.
Unless the Riyadh Season organizers step in with an astronomical sum that forces Ryan to accept the limit, Shakur may find himself “too good for his own good.” He’ll be stuck with belts and money, but without the career-defining mega-fight he needs to become a true superstar.
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