“I just don’t think I’ll fight at 147 right now,” Shakur Stevenson told Boxing with Steph. “I feel like it’s going to be in the years to come. I feel like 47 will be my last weight class. Then I look like a guy like Devin, they can act like, ‘Oh, well, if you get 47, he might go to 54.’ I don’t see it. Like, I don’t see it.”
Stevenson also downplayed recent talk of a fight with Devin Haney, saying the discussions never turned into serious negotiations.
“I feel like even with the conversations, right, with the Devin Haney situation, I feel like the conversations started with team Haney, but it was never an actual negotiation or reaching out, let’s talk about this, or it was never anything like that,” Stevenson said. “But for me personally, I just feel like I’m willing to fight anybody.”
The Newark native repeatedly pointed to weight as the biggest obstacle.
“Fans want me to just move up fight after fight,” Stevenson said. “It was my first time ever at 140. You know why they want me to move up fight after fight? Because I’m that good.”
Shakur said he still intends to campaign primarily at lightweight despite recently winning a world title at 140 against Lopez.
“I’m a 35-pounder,” Stevenson says. “I plan to fight at 35. But I’m willing to fight anyone at 142.”
Shakur also hinted that money will play a big role in any future superfight.
“These guys have to come to the table and say they want to fight and make it make sense,” Stevenson said.
Waiting for a move to welterweight could be risky for Stevenson. He still has undefeated younger fighters at lightweight and light welterweight that he hasn’t faced, including Floyd Schofield, Andy Hiraoka and Gary Antuanne Russell. Haney’s future at 147 also remains unclear after only two fights at welterweight, including wins over Brian Norman Jr. and Jose Ramirez.
