Shakur Stevenson must prove himself now

After the Haney fight fell through, Stevenson faces a major test

Shakur Stevenson teased on X that a fight date will likely be set for him very soon, now that the bout against Devin Haney has unfortunately fallen through.

“Date on the way ⏳”

he wrote there.

The fight will show whether he’ll continue to seek opponents in the catchweight division or whether he’ll finally defend the WBO super lightweight title he won in January against Teofimo Lopez. There were also some strange demands regarding weight during negotiations with Devin Haney, even though Devin Haney had no advantage in that regard. It used to be different with Shakur Stevenson. In February, he was still willing to fight Conor Benn at 147 pounds, but against Devin Haney, he absolutely refuses to fight above 144. It gives the impression that he’s trying to build in safety measures against certain opponents so he doesn’t put himself at too much risk. However, he’ll have to defend the title at some point, and that’s where major dangers lie. For one, there’s Emiliano Vargas, who would likely bring the largest fan base with him. However, he’s also only 22 years old and doesn’t have much experience. His ranking currently reflects his performance in national fights rather than world-class bouts. He’s a good fighter, but he’d be more of a commercial draw who, from a sporting perspective, would be relatively easy to handle. However, there’s also the exact opposite. Ernesto Mercado is probably the biggest threat, and he’s already accused Shakur Stevenson of trying to avoid him.

“I’m in his head. I live in his head. He don’t wanna fight me”

he said in an “Inside The Ring” interview.

Ernesto Mercado is probably faster than Shakur Stevenson and packs a lot of punch. He has the technique to beat him and can also keep up with his hand speed. Sure, Shakur Stevenson is a good fighter and has very strong skills, but he needs to put that to the test again. If he really wants to prove himself in the ring, he should face Ernesto Mercado, and do so without trying to change weight classes.