Bill Haney says Devin Haney accepted a 144-pound deal, but Shakur Stevenson has yet to respond as mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis waits
Bill Haney says Devin Haney has already agreed to a 144-pound fight with Shakur Stevenson and is now waiting for Stevenson to respond. If no deal is reached, Haney’s mandatory WBO welterweight title defense against Keyshawn Davis is expected to become the next fight.
“We have Shakur Stevenson standing in the way of Devin’s quest to be on the Mount Rushmore of boxing,” Bill Haney said on Inside The Ring on DAZN. “Because with three divisions and the youngest undisputed champion, I don’t know if we’re going to get all the respect we need unless we run through all of them. Shakur hasn’t responded to the 144-pound agreement that Devin Haney said that he will have with him.”
The two rivals publicly exchanged words on social media earlier this month and appeared to agree in principle to a fight at 144 pounds. Since then, however, there has been no official announcement.
Time could become a factor. Haney is the WBO welterweight champion and has been ordered to make a mandatory defense against Keyshawn Davis. If negotiations with Shakur fail to produce a deal, Keyshawn could become the next opponent instead.
Bill Haney believes convincing Stevenson to sign the contract will be the biggest obstacle.
“It’s been a fight to get him in the ring,” Bill said. “I think that’s going to be the hardest part for Deebo, to get him in the ring, than to actually be in the ring. I think more people are starting to understand that maybe Bill Haney might have a little bit of truth to it by the confidence that we’ve shown about it. … This is a fight that determines who’s the best fighter in boxing.”
Haney captured the WBO welterweight title last November with a unanimous decision over Brian Norman Jr., becoming a three-division world champion. Shakur moved up to 140 pounds in January and defeated Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO light welterweight title and add a fourth weight-class championship to his record.
Bill Haney insists Shakur remains the priority. If no agreement is reached, Devin’s mandatory title defense against Keyshawn appears to be the most likely next step.