The American monarch Shakur Stevenson publicly analyzed the reasons behind his compatriot Devin Haney's constant calls for a fight, arguing that his colleague's interest lies mainly in obtaining physical benefits on the scale on the day of the event.

The possibility of a clash between both fighters has gained strength in the last weeks of the sporting calendar, establishing the issue of tonnage as the main disagreement between the work teams.

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While the welterweight champion of the World Boxing Organization intends to finalize the confrontation at the 147-pound limit, his counterpart demands the establishment of special weight conditions to avoid disparities in the ring.

The debate over weight categories and agreed limits

The welterweight monarch's stance of seeking a direct confrontation in his current category has been received with caution by the super lightweight champion's corner.

For Shakur Stevenson, the insistence on fighting the contest in the 147-pound division is a strategy aimed at consolidating a physical advantage, also criticizing that his opponent looks for lower weight opponents instead of moving up to the super welterweight category.

During a conversation with the British newspaper The Daily Mail, the Newark fighter argued that his potential opponent's approach avoids assuming more demanding commitments against the super welterweight qualifiers.

"You're begging to fight someone much smaller than you, just like they did with Tank [Gervonta Davis] for years," Shakur Stevenson told the aforementioned journalistic source, adding about his rival's projections: "You're not eager to move up a weight class and fight [Jaron] Ennis at 154 pounds, that's not what you're thinking about. You want an advantage over someone."

The disparity in physical rehydration

The factor that accentuates the differences between both training camps is the weight recovery after the official weigh-in ceremony.

The 140-pound champion's team estimates that, if the fight takes place at the welterweight limit and without a strict rehydration clause, the real weight difference in the ring could exceed twenty pounds in favor of the current WBO titleholder.

This weight projection represents the main reason why it has been proposed to establish an agreed weight of 144 pounds that limits the physical advantage of the rival in the evening. "When Devin and I fight, Devin is going to weigh 20 pounds more. That's why he's so eager to get in the ring with me," Shakur Stevenson pointed out when detailing the reasons for his demand. "For my part, I am willing to fight, but that's why I said 144 pounds. Lose weight and we'll see each other somewhere in the middle," he added to the European media outlet.