This situation recreates what happened at Madison Square Garden.
Benn was invited into the ring immediately after Stevenson’s win over Teofimo Lopez. The two stood face to face and exchanged comments. During the face-to-face, Stevenson told Benn to sign the contract. Benn responded, and the exchange ran for a few moments before the broadcast broke away. However, the weight terms were not discussed during that brief meeting in the ring.
Afterwards, Benn made it clear that he would not accept a rehydration limit. When asked directly to agree to such a clause, he refused. Stevenson later addressed that reaction, saying the fight probably wouldn’t happen without the restriction.
The clause itself is not incidental. Benn’s use of a rehydration limit against Eubank became a central issue surrounding those fights, shaping preparation and drawing criticism before and after the final bell. Applying the same rule here will affect how the match is made.
For Stevenson’s part, the position is tied to his current status. He just moved up to 140 pounds. Benn works at welterweight and has fought above that limit. Stevenson said he was willing to take the fight only with conditions in place.
On Benn’s part, the refusal matches his stated direction. He has returned to 147 and is looking for title opportunities in that division. He did not agree to the restriction.
Benn’s ring appearance generated interest in the fight. The rehydration clause introduced a point of disagreement.
Stevenson walked out of the building with a brand new belt around his waist. Now, whether he actually gets this fight depends entirely on whether Benn is willing to play by his rules.
