Two-division world champion, Shakur Stevenson has reacted to comments by Floyd Mayweather, after ‘The Best Ever’ suggested that Devin Haney should have made a fair offer to his fellow American to make the fight happen.
Stevenson has won world titles at both featherweight and super-featherweight since turning professional in 2017.
The 26-year-old made his lightweight debut earlier this year, knocking out Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth-round of their bout, placing him in a near-perfect position to challenge Devin Haney for the undisputed titles.
However, Haney has instead opted to move up in weight himself and face Regis Prograis for the WBC Super-Lightweight crown, after Stevenson supposedly declined an offer of a 75/25 split for the undisputed clash.
In an interview with Fight Hype, Floyd Mayweather explained that Haney shouldn’t have treated Stevenson with the same disrespect that ‘The Dream’ faced when he challenged George Kambosos for the undisputed title in Australia.
“Devin made Shakur a certain offer.
Just because Top Rank made you go over there to Australia and fight twice, which is not right. If he went over there and won, the second fight should have been on an even playing field or it should have been in America.
If they gave you a 70/30 or a 80/20 then you need to be upset with the promoter. That doesn’t mean that the same way they operated and didn’t do you right, you shouldn’t do that to another black fighter, because you are a black fighter.
We should be treating each other fairly. So I can’t even say if it should be a 50/50 or a 60/40, that is not my place, but Shakur should be treated fairly, like how Devin Haney should have got treated fair when he went to Australia the first time.”
On social media, reacted to the ‘facts’ Mayweather was speaking but thinks any advice will fall on deaf ears.
“The GOAT speaking facts. They only hear what they want tho”
It appears that Shakur Stevenson will still fight for the lightweight world title in his next fight, poised to take on Vasily Lomachenko for two of the four belts, that are set to become vacant once Haney moves up to the 140lb division.