Shakur Stevenson has accused Devin Haney of ducking him and cherry picking fighters.
The two boxers have been linked with a fight ever since their days at 136 pounds. Haney alleged he made a 25 percent offer to Shakur, which was rejected. Stevenson denied the existence of any offer, as Haney would later move up to 140. Since then, Shakur’s stock has dropped dramatically. His fight against Edwin De Los Santos damaged his brand.
Despite winning the bout to claim the WBC Lightweight Title, Shakur was booed due to his defensive style. He announced his retirement, becoming frustrated at being unable to make the big fights. He reversed the decision as he prepared to return on July 6. Reports indicate he will face Artem Harutyunyan.
Artem is not a big name, but he did push Frank Martin close in his last fight, losing a decision after taking a knee in the final round. Shakur had attempted to fight Haney as a replacement for Ryan Garcia, given concerns over his mental health. But the Haney vs Garcia fight is going ahead, leaving Shakur frustrated.
Shakur Reacts
“Yes. I hate when people say that Tank fight ain’t going to happen and ‘He ain’t going to fight you. If they [team Haney] have to, they’ll do it, but if they don’t have to, they’ll keep doing what they’re doing and milk the game, which they should be doing. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a lot of fans out there who believe what they say, but truthfully, there’s a lot of cap going on.
“It [me against Ryan] would be a big fight. The only thing I don’t like is if he loses this fight, he’ll be coming off of two loses. He got a win in between, but the fight he’s recognized for, he’s coming off a loss to Tank and then Devin. Then he’s be fighting me.I want the fight to happen, because I want a big fight, but I don’t like that it’s happening that way. If he comes out victorious and knocks out Devin, then that’s a huge fight right there,” Shakur said
De La Hoya Reacts
Another name Shakur was linked with was against William Zepeda. Zepeda called out Shakur after beating Maxi Hughes in his last fight. Oscar De La Hoya expressed doubts that Shakur would want to face his fighter. When Stevenson expressed his desire to do so, De La Hoya said Zepeda would go in a different direction. That left Stevenson feeling frustrated, but De La Hoya is still open to making it happen.
“I would love to make that fight [Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda]. Let them fight their fights in June or July, and then we can talk because I would love to make that fight. I think Shakur is one of the most talented fighters out there today, and obviously, I believe in Zepeda. His punch output and his ability in the ring to take a shot, give a shot, and throw punches in punches. In my expertise, he can give Shakur some problems, and vice versa. It’ll be a great fight. That’s the bottom line,” De La Hoya stated
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