Amid Purse Split Debacle, Floyd Mayweather Urges Shakur Stevenson to Fight Devin Haney

The lightweight division has some impeccable talent but Floyd Mayweather claims that the best boxers are not facing each other. The undisputed champion of the division, Devin Haney, last fought against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20. Despite the debates surroundings his last bout, he remains a desired opponent and can line up many exciting matchups. In particular, he welcomes a bout against  Shakur Stevenson in the lightweight division. Stevenson is a two-division champion who made his debut in the lightweight division a few months ago.

An opportunity to be a three-weight division champion is not something Stevenson would let slide— unless it involves an issue with the purse split. It was reported that Haney’s team made an offer of a “75-25” purse split in favor of Haney. Stevenson is not inclined to accept the offer based on the aforementioned terms but Mayweather thinks that the fight between the two should take place.

Floyd Mayweather wants the “biggest and the best to fight” with each other in the lightweight division

Mayweather has earned many accolades in boxing. He fought against the finest fighters of  his era and was able to defeat them. However, after seeing the current landscape of  lightweight division. Mayweather infers that the boxers are not ready to take risks and are afraid of losing. Citing his own example, he stated, “I fought everybody in my era who I need to fight. Fighters are so worried about losing. I’m here to let everybody know I lost fights, you know you win and you learn.”

Furthermore, he contends that Stevenson and Haney should come to an agreement and fight each other. Reflecting on the same, he stated, “I feel like the biggest and best should fight each other. No different from what I did. The lightweight division for so much talent. Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson, that’s a great matchup.” 

Not to mention, their fight would be a spectacle to witness— not just from the perspective of their skillset but even their history.

The history between Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson

Boxing fights that have an intriguing backstory captivate the public. Haney and Stevenson used to be training partners back in their amateur days. Stevenson made the claim that he used to get the better of him in their sparring sessions. To which, Haney refuted and stated, “The sparring was back and forth. There were times he got the best of me there were times I got the best of him.”

Read more: Is Shakur Stevenson a Real Threat to Devin Haney’s Undisputed Title? Everything Needs to Know About the Controversy Brewing Between Boxing Titans Over Ducking