The world welterweight champion of the World Boxing Organization, Devin Haney, reactivated the verbal confrontation with Shakur Stevenson after revealing that he accepted the weight conditions proposed by his rival without being able to finalize the agreement.

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The 147-pound champion said that the offer of a catchweight was not enough to convince the Newark boxer to enter the ring.

The monarch's last presentation occurred in November 2025, when he moved up a category to beat Brian Norman Jr. Since then, the fighter has looked for high-profile commercial opponents to make his first defense, even offering a direct opportunity for his world belt to Stevenson under special tonnage conditions.

The agreed weight proposal on social networks

The controversy intensified after Stevenson suggested setting a limit of 144 pounds as a midpoint between the super lightweight class (140 pounds) and the welterweight division (147 pounds).

Although this decision by Devin Haney represented an additional physical effort due to dehydration, the fighter publicly accepted the challenge to facilitate the signing of the contracts.

Through his official account on the X digital platform, the champion questioned his opponent's determination after not receiving a favorable response in the days following the verbal agreement. “144 pounds wasn't enough… he still doesn't want to fight,” the boxer posted on his social network profile, adding a direct claim: “Damn, Shakur Stevenson.”

Stevenson's camp stance

The panorama of the negotiations took a turn when the challenger from Newark dismissed the exchanges of messages in the digital environment. Stevenson called public offerings a promotional strategy and argued that formal negotiations for a lawsuit of this magnitude should be handled through the promoters and legal counsel, outside the reach of the Internet.

Faced with this situation, Devin Haney's team decided to maintain media pressure to highlight what they consider to be evasions on the part of the undefeated challenger. The WBO monarch's camp argues that the willingness to drop to 144 pounds also included the opportunity to compete for the world welterweight crown on a high-profile commercial card.

History of failed negotiations

The attempts to coordinate a confrontation between both athletes record previous chapters that did not reach legal terms. Bill Haney, father and coach of the champion, according to statements shared in various sports media, confirmed that conversations between the corners have been recurring during recent seasons, but they were never able to be closed definitively.

The lack of a definitive agreement after Devin Haney's statements on platform X prolongs the inactivity of both boxers in their respective divisions. Sector analysts estimate that sanctioning bodies will have to intervene if the work teams fail to unify criteria to carry out one of the most anticipated fights by the fans.

For now, Devin Haney's future at 147 pounds remains focused on finding alternative challengers if the unification fight does not materialize.

The development of the coming weeks will determine whether the representatives of both boxers return to official administrative channels to draft a definitive contract or if the rivalry will continue to be limited to the level of social networks.