Esteemed coach Robert Garcia provided his expert opinion on a potential clash between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney, who have verbally agreed to meet at the 144-pound catchweight division.

There are rumors that both American stars will be joining Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, apparently with the intention of clashing under the promotional banner.

While nothing has been confirmed, the pair regularly exchange information on social media, and Haney has verbally agreed to drop 3 pounds below his preferred fighting weight.

“The Dream” won the WBO welterweight title in November, becoming a three-division world champion dethroning and unanimously overtaking Brian Norman Jr.

Earlier this week, however, the WBO confirmed that Haney would be stripped of his belt if he fought Stevenson at the 144-pound catchweight division, as the 27-year-old had been ordered to face mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis.

However, if they do end up facing off at 144 pounds, top trainer Garcia said Fighting Hub TV that he will favor the WBO super-lightweight champion the least.

“Honestly, I think it’s a great fight for both of them. They both fight very astute – they don’t handle each other [many] mistakes.

“The first one to make a mistake, the second one will take advantage of it. It’s a tough fight. With a very miniature difference, I probably think Shakur [would win]. He’s too astute.

“What I like about Haney is that he’s willing to take a risk. He’d be willing to take that risk and I think Shakur benefits from that [of his mistake]”

Stevenson became a four-division world champion when he dethroned Teofimo Lopez in January with a unanimous majority victory in his first appearance at 140 pounds.

That’s why the 28-year-old is reluctant to face Haney at 147 pounds, where his opponent would have a significant size advantage.

“The ideal idea would be to have another fight,” Garcia said, discussing Rodriguez’s future. “Now he’s felt it for the first time. Plus, Vargas is a little taller, clumsy, and has difficulty with speed. Medina is very sturdy, so it would be a great test.”

Garcia’s comments came after Rodriguez’s bantamweight debut. The veteran trainer explained that his fighter had gained valuable experience against a naturally larger opponent and could benefit from another fight before potentially moving up to the 122-pound weight class.

“Three pounds may not seem like a lot to someone who just runs, but in boxing it makes a substantial difference,” Garcia said. “So for me the perfect idea would be to organize another fight.”

These comments contradict Hearn’s assessment of the situation.

“If we don’t do this soon, we will probably miss the boat,” he added. Hearn said, referring to a possible Rodriguez-Inoue clash.

Inoue, who turned 33 in April, remains one of boxing’s biggest attractions and one of the top fighters in the sport. The Japanese star currently competes at super bantamweight, which is four pounds heavier than his modern home of Rodriguez, who weighs in at 118 pounds.

Rodriguez himself seemed ready for whatever direction his team chose.

“Whatever my team says,” Bam Rodriguez said. “Whatever they throw in front of me, I’ll say yes.”

The fight between Rodriguez and Inoue has long been viewed as one of the most exhilarating future fights in the sport. However, Garcia’s comments suggest that Team Rodriguez may be considering whether an extra season at bantamweight could improve Bam’s chances of fighting the biggest fight of his career

Mike Tyson urged Oleksandr Usyk to face one of his closest rivals instead of an immediate rematch with Rico Verhoeven.

The Ukrainian is clearly considering his options after his last outing, which ended with: a somewhat controversial 11th round victory over Verhoeven.

Surprisingly, Usyk found himself in a competitive battle with the former kickboxer, whose only previous professional boxing match allowed him to stop the journeyman in the second round of their 2014 meeting.

As such, Verhoeven was considered the clear underdog, but he nonetheless put in a commendable performance last month, staying in contention with the heavyweight champion for 10 completed rounds.

Then the Dutchman suffered a knockdown, and referee Mark Lyson waved him off, and his intervention took place after the signal.

Despite both pairs calling for an immediate rematch, Usyk was ordered to defend his WBC title against mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel.

As the WBC “interim” champion, Kabayel has been waiting for his chance to win the full title since stopping Zhilei Zhang with a sixth-round body attack in February 2025.

And although the 33-year-old has shown considerable patience during this time, he is clearly feeling increasingly frustrated with the situation, so much so that he posted social media clip “Iron Mike” demanding that Usyk defend the WBC, IBF and WBA titles against him.

“Usyk, we’re waiting for you, brother. We need you, Usyk. We need this money, baby. Come get it.”

Usyk must now decide whether to face Kabayel, who has established himself as the most deserving contender, or to relinquish the WBC belt and pursue a rematch with Verhoeven.

Alternatively, he can simply hang up the gloves and, at the age of 39, embark on a brilliant career.