Following his exceptional victory against Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson quickly announced that he wanted to move up a weight category to face Conor Benn.
Stevenson established himself in the number one pound-for-pound conversation over twelve expert rounds against Lopez at welterweight, dominating ‘The Takeover’ with timing, counters and one of the best jabs in the business.
While Stevenson remaining at 140 pounds is an exciting prospect for fans, he engaged in a confrontation with Benn after the fight, fueling an unlikely but already smoldering rivalry. The new champion said:
“We can do this, boy. I want the same rehydration clause you put in. [Chris] Eubank Jr and I want the fight. My skills are too great. Sign the contract, let’s make it happen.
Benn – who fought Eubank Jr twice at middleweight but made it clear he would move back down to welterweight for his next fight – he was receptive to the challenge.
However, when Stevenson was informed at the press conference that Benn had said no to a 10-pound rehydration clause, he said it was a deal breaker.
“If he doesn’t agree, then we probably won’t fight. So he’s just wasting time. We’ll see. At the end of the day, I’m a businessman. Like I said, he signed a rehydration clause with Chris Eubank, Chris Eubank was in the ring half dead. Why can’t he do the same thing?”
It remains to be seen how the negotiations will progress. Benn, who became a big star in the UK with his win over Eubank after losing in the first match, has also been linked to Rolando Romero. or the winner of Mario Barrio vs. Ryan Garcia.
