Bob Arum wants Devin Haney fight Shakur Stevenson

By Boxing News - 06/08/2023 - Comments

By Adam Baskin: Bob Arum says the fighter that is the #1 choice for Devin Haney’s next fight is Shakur Stevenson. That’s the Top Rank boss Arum’s preference for Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) if he chooses to stay at 135 and not run it back against Vasyl Lomachenko.

Shakur (20-0, 10 KOs) is probably the least likely guy to get selected by Haney and his dad Bill for their next fight because it’s a style match-up for him.

No amount of money that Arum can offer Haney will get him to agree to fight Shakur because he’s obviously hoping to win the lottery and get Gervonta Davis for a cash-out like we just saw Ryan Garcia get.

We saw how Haney took off like a rocket once Shakur climbed into the ring after Devin’s controversial win over Lomachenko. Haney looked like he’d seen a ghost. He took one look at Shakur climbing through the ropes and quickly hurried away as fast as his feet could carry him.

It’s safe to say that the only guy Haney will stay at 135 to fight is the jailed Gervonta Davis. If that fight is unavailable, Haney will move up to 140 and flounder like a ship on the high seas. Haney lacks the power to hang with the top 140-pounders, and he’ll end up like Adrien Broner.

“Well, all we can do is offer them alternative fights. What are the
alternative fights? So when I meet with Bill Haney, his father, and manager, there are a few fights that we can talk about, and they’re probably others he can fight,” said Bob Arum to Fighthype when asked what options he has for Devin Haney if he chooses to stay with Top Rank for his next fight.

“The winner of this fight [Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez] maybe, go to 140. He can maybe fight Ryan Garcia. That’s a possibility.

“He can stay at 135 and maybe fight a rematch [with Vasyl Lomachenko], or he can say to me, ‘Hey, the guy I want that is a tremendous fighter and would do a lot of business’ is Shakur Stevenson. I like them all.

“Obviously, the fight I would like best is against Shakur Stevenson because he’s another guy I love to watch fight.

“From the time we signed Shakur, and we signed Lomachenko, that was the fight in my mind that I wanted to see. It was a little too early for Shakur to fight Loma at that point, but I would love that fight, even if I wasn’t promoting it. I would pay to see it.

“Well, that’s up to Loma and his father on what they want to do,” said Arum when asked where Vasily Lomachenko goes from here. “If I was a fan, I would be happy to pay money anytime Loma stepped in the ring because he’s such a great talent, and whether it’s a rematch with Haney or going down to 130 or to fight other good fighters at 135, that’s going to be up to them.

“But I really am a great admirer of Vassily Lomachenko, and I know we’ll be continuing, and he’s a really great entertaining fighter,” said Arum.

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