Newly crowned WBO junior welterweight champ Shakur Stevenson just won his fourth world title in a fourth division and now, has several options of defending at 140 lb., 135 lb., or even, moving up, again.
Now that Shakur Stevenson has moved up to junior welterweight and won another world title (the WBO) in another weight division, the natural question is: who's next? The answer may not be as easy.
Immediately after shutting down and winning virtually every round against Teofimo Lopez to capture the WBO 140 lb. title in the Ring VI PPV main event at Madison Square Garden Saturday night, Stevenson interestingly turned his attention to a less prominent "commodity' in the USA, in England's Conor Benn who was ringside.
“Where’s Conor Benn?” Stevenson shouted in the ring with DAZN. “Hey, Conor Benn – we can get it bangin’, boy? I want that same rehydration clause that you put on Eubank Jr., and we can fight.”
On cue, almost like it was orchestrated, Benn jumped up from ringside and through the ropes and in the ring to blast back.
“You’re too small for me, boy,” Benn shot back. “You’re tiny, bro. You can’t punch; you can’t keep me off you. I’ll f--k you up. I’ll put you down.”
But for all the WWE "Promo"-style yelling at each other that ensued. Is a matchup of Stevenson-Benn really realistic?
We discussed this potential fight and others on the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast" with insider Dan Rafael joining me. You can hear us discuss it by clicking below,
As we discussed, the 28 year old Stevenson, now 25-0, 11 KOs, has tremendous leverage and it doesn't make a lot of sense to turn to a fighter, who's been fighting at middleweight and still says he wants to make 147 lb.
Though Benn has a solid record, 24-1, 14 KOs, he has only one large win and that was his rematch decision win over Eubank, Jr. late last year. And, his notoriety is from the British fans filling Tottenham Hotspur Stadium twice for the two Eubank, Jr. fights and not from any real interest in the U.S.
Further, why would Stevenson, the clear "A side" of the promotion and the money, move up to a third weight class in the last two years and fight Benn in his backyard? That doesn't make any sense.
So, now, there are questions on what's commercially good for Stevenson here, too? What if he moves back down to lightweight? Does he fight either newly crowned, unbeaten, Raymond Muratalla, who just won the IBF belt last weekend against Andy Cruz? It's also probably too soon for him to fight the new WBO champ, young Abdullah Mason, either. And, frankly, neither of those are PPV fights, domestically.
What about a unification bout with either IBF 140 lb. champ Richardson Hitchins or WBA titleholder Gary Antuanne Russell, as both of them get send to defend on the Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia PPV at the end of this month? Again, it would be gaining unification at junior welterweight, but neither of those fighters are PPV "sells' either.
Stevenson has options, including the real risk of putting on more weight to fight Benn, but for now, we are left to wonder what one of the most talent fighters in the sport would do next?