“Benavidez is everything he says he is, much respect to him and his art. I would love to see Bivol come back 100 percent healthy and make that fight.”
One fan quickly brought up an older post of Shakur’s and pulled it back into the conversation:
“I said I would in my own time and not at anyone else’s time! Tell David I’ll move up when he moves up to his 4th weight class to fight Usyk?”
The “on my time” comment feels weak to fans because it sounds like a double standard. Shakur wants the honor of being a “big dog” fighting anyone, but the contract demands indicate he only wants those fights if the other guy is physically compromised.
Benavidez just proved you can move up and dominate without a security blanket in the contract. By asking for catch weights and rehydration limits against Ryan, Haney and Benn, Shakur makes it easy for people to say he’s more interested in protecting his “0” than testing his greatness.
‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez is here jumping divisions and chasing whoever holds belts. He doesn’t wait for perfect timing. That’s why people call him a fighter.
Shakur is not built that way. He fights with precision and chooses his moments carefully. Even here, he gave Benavidez respect and then pointed to Dmitry Bivol as a fight he’d rather see next.
Stevenson is a four-division champion, which on paper is an incredible feat. However, the perception is that those titles were won through careful planning and favorable terms. When he tells fans “on my time,” it sounds to many like he’s saying “on my terms,” which includes rehydration clauses or catch weights that reduce the risk.
