Devin Haney Makes Shakur Stevenson An Offer
There has been a lot of recent discussion surrounding a potential clash between Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs), the current undisputed lightweight champion, and Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs), a former featherweight champion. This is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year, and would attract a significant viewership. But after recent events and discussion among the fighters, fans are worried about whether this fight will become a reality or not.
Just recently Devin Haney made it clear that Shakur Stevenson was going to have to make a sacrifice by accepting the 25% deal he was offered if he wanted to fight for his undisputed lightweight championship. Shakur on the other hand is expected to want 40-45%, however this demand is not likely to be met. Shakur Stevenson is no longer a world champion, and has nothing to really offer to Devin Haney in order to get a better split. If he had a belt, he could have used it as a sort of leverage in the contract negotiations. Moreover, Shakur has only one total fight in the lightweight division, and for him to even get an offer at a title shot seems too good an opportunity for him to pass up on.
In fact, Devin Haney had to make a similar sacrifice by taking the smaller cut when fighting champion George Kambosos Jr for his 3 belts last year, and it paid off as Haney received his 4 titles with a unanimous decision victory. Then for the rematch, Haney went back to Australia to fight Kambosos and defeated him once again. The deal he got for these fights was not ideal at all, however, he took it because the end result was well worth it. Now it’s Shakur’s turn to take the short end of the deal.
The best course of action for Shakur Stevenson would be to accept the 25% offer and fight Haney for his belts. If Shakur manages to win, he would solidify himself as the face of lightweight boxing, over stars like Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, and Ryan Garcia. However, if Shakur doesn’t want the fight, it wouldn’t be of any worry to Devin Haney whatsoever as he has many other, much more profitable fight opportunities. Whether it’s a big money fight against Gervonta Davis, a rematch against Vasiliy Lomachenko, or if he decides to conquer a new division at 140 lbs.