‘Who are you?’: Shakur Stevenson not willing to bend to Devin Haney in negotiations
· Yahoo Sports
Shakur Stevenson says he’d be happy to fight Devin Haney, but doesn’t see why he should give Haney and his team what they want in negotiations.
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Specifically, he doesn’t see why he should accept a 147 lb limit when Haney fought a 144 lb catchweight with Jose Ramirez just two fights ago.
Here’s what Stevenson told Inside the Ring:
“I’m all for making the biggest and best fights happen, but I’m not just about to give you what you (want). And no disrespect to Devin. Like, Devin, you’re a hell of a fighter, but who are you for me to just be, like, ‘I’m gonna give you exactly (what you want)?’
“I’m pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the sport of boxing, bro. What do I gotta go to 147 for you, when me and you could meet in the middle? We could meet at 144. Let’s do it. What’s the problem? I don’t see the issue.
“Let’s remember correctly, he fought Brian Norman [at 147], and before that fight, he fought Jose Ramirez. When he fought Jose Ramirez, the weight was at 144 lbs. So if he’s fighting Jose Ramirez at 144 lbs, two fights ago, what’s the problem with fighting me at 144 lbs? That’s how I look at it.”
Stevenson arguably has a point, I suppose, and of course as a fighter looking to make the most money and get the best possible deal, he’s going to ask for what he wants, the same as Haney will.
On the other hand, Devin Haney is the WBO welterweight champion. The welterweight limit is 147 lbs. When Haney fought Jose Ramirez, it was not a WBO title fight. When Haney fought and beat Brian Norman for the WBO title, obviously it was, and the limit was 147. The Ramirez fight was also Haney testing the waters coming up from 140, and Ramirez was doing the same. It was also over a year ago now.
So Haney would really have every reason to shoot back kind of the same question. Who is Shakur Stevenson to demand a catchweight for a world title fight? Yeah, Shakur’s a terrific, successful fighter. World titles at 126, 130, 135, and 140. But nobody’s pound-for-pound list directly sells tickets or anything, either. And yes, plenty of world title fights over the years have had contract weights under the usual divisional limit. But those were usually, like, really big money fights, with true A-list draws. I don’t know that this is one of those.
Does anyone really have any clear leverage here? Haney has the belt. Stevenson probably does sell a few more tickets if you keep it in or around the New York/New Jersey area. Both guys can talk a pretty good game, and there would be intriguing in the matchup between them; nobody would expect the Fight of the Year, but would Shakur’s skill set be able to dominate Haney they way it did Teofimo Lopez and has pretty much everyone he’s fought, or would Stevenson meet real resistance from someone as skilled as Haney is at his best?
Should Shakur stand firm or just take the fight at 147 if the money’s right?