Shakur Stevenson Accused Of Losing The Public Relations Battle Over Devin Haney Fight

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Tim Bradley believes Shakur Stevenson has lost momentum in negotiations with Devin Haney after agreeing to a 144-pound catchweight before going quiet publicly. The discussion quickly turned to whether Haney’s camp has seized control of the conversation surrounding one of boxing’s biggest potential fights.

“I was cool with the 144. Cool with it. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s meeting in the middle.’ Haney straight-up conceded to that 144, bro,” said former world champion Tim Bradley to InsideRingShow about Shakur. “That’s what you said. And then you go missing. You go MIA hearing crickets. Where you at? He’s trying to make the damn fight.”

Later in the discussion, host Max Kellerman suggested Bill Haney has done an effective job of putting Stevenson on the defensive in the court of public opinion.

“Bill Haney has done a great job of framing the conversation in such a way that everyone’s like, ‘Well, if Shakur wants to be great, he’s got to do this.’”

Kellerman argued that Shakur has several paths to superstardom and shouldn’t be judged solely on whether a fight with Haney happens next. He also defended Stevenson’s request for a 144-pound catchweight, noting that Haney has grown into a naturally larger fighter.

Not everyone on the panel agreed. Mike Coppinger argued that elite fighters are expected to challenge naturally bigger opponents if they want to establish themselves as the sport’s best, pointing to previous champions who moved up in weight for defining fights.

The discussion came after Bill Haney publicly claimed his side had already sent Shakur a contract and urged him to sign it. Stevenson has previously expressed interest in facing Haney at a 144-pound catchweight, though the negotiations have yet to produce an official agreement.

One point drew broad agreement from the panel: Haney’s camp has seized control of the conversation, leaving Stevenson facing growing questions from fans about why the bout has yet to be finalized.