“If Floyd Mayweather Hadn’t Rematched Castillo, That Would’ve Travelled With Him Throughout His Career”
Shakur Stevenson, speaking with Spencer Fearon on his ‘The Fight Is Right” podcast, stated how in his opinion Devin Haney needs to “run it back” with Vasilily Lomachenko. Just over a week on from the controversial decision we saw in Las Vegas, with Haney retaining his unified lightweight titles with a unanimous decision that seemingly almost nobody agreed with (big names such as Oscar De La Hoya, Teddy Atlas, Paulie Malignaggi and others really laying into the work of the three judges), the anger is still palpable.
Haney is adamant he deserved the win, and some folks do agree with him, a few at least, while others say the fight was very close. But Stevenson says that if Haney doesn’t grant Loma a return fight, and if he doesn’t defeat him decisively, the controversy of the May 20th fight could “travel with him throughout his career.”
Stevenson, who wants to land a fight with Haney himself, says that if he were in Haney’s shoes, he would definitely do it again.
“If I was in his shoes, I would for sure run it back,” Stevenson said of Haney and his unfinished business with Loma. “Because I wouldn’t want the public to judge me off of that fight. I wouldn’t want them to think that this dude beat me. ‘Cos that’s gonna travel with him throughout the rest of his career. Like if Floyd [Mayweather] never rematched [Jose Luis] Castillo, I think it would’ve travelled with Floyd throughout his career. But he went and fought him in a rematch, and he beat him convincingly. If it was me, I would want to show the public, ‘Okay, it was an off night, watch this.’”
It’s tough to disagree with Stevenson. Imagine if Mayweather had never ended all doubt by decisively beating Castillo in a return fight. How would we look at Mayweather today? A whole lot differently, no doubt. But Mayweather, to his credit, did what the great fighters do, and he put things right, he improved his game, he left zero doubt in the second fight.
Does Haney now need to do the same to be considered a great? Very possibly. That controversial decision will not go anywhere unless there is a rematch and Haney proves without any doubt he is the better man. But will we actually see a rematch between Haney and Loma?