Robert Garcia Says Shakur Stevenson Personally Requested Raymond Muratalla Fight

Shakur Stevenson has yet to announce his next opponent, but Robert Garcia says the three-division champion already made his preference known. The veteran trainer revealed Stevenson visited his gym and identified IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla as the fighter he wants next following Muratalla’s title defense against Robson Conceicao in Las Vegas.

“I think they have been avoiding him because he still hadn’t become that big name. But I think after Andy Cruz performance, the performance he had against Andy Cruz, that’s where the boxing world noticed, man, this kid is the real deal,” said trainer Robert Garcia to Fighthype about Muratalla. “So now they have been talking. Shakur came to my gym and told me that’s the fight I want. That’s what fight I’m going to ask. So hopefully after Saturday, if everything goes well, we hear from Shakur because I don’t think he’s got anything lined up, if I’m not mistaken. I haven’t heard anything. So we would love to be ready to face Shakur. But look, there are other fights. There’s other big fights too. There’s unification fights at 135 if we decide to stay at 135, or there’s great champions at 140 if we decide to go to 140.”

Robert’s account goes beyond the usual back-and-forth on social media. A direct conversation inside his gym suggests Shakur had already identified Muratalla as a target well before any public negotiations surfaced. The next step rests with the camps once Muratalla completes his assignment.

Garcia also made it clear that Shakur is not the only option on the table. A lightweight unification remains attractive, while a move to 140 pounds has also been discussed inside Team Muratalla. Either route would reshape the champion’s plans before Stevenson has an opportunity to secure the matchup.

That leaves Stevenson with little room to delay. Robert publicly welcomed the fight and indicated his side is ready to listen, placing the focus squarely on whether the WBC champion pursues the matchup after Muratalla’s appearance this weekend.