“Davis vs. Haney, the biggest fight of the year.⭐️”

Haney replied shortly thereafter, but instead of enjoying the duel, he focused on Stevenson.

“Me vs. Shakur… is the most vital thing. Our fight would be massive though.”

The exchange is noteworthy because it comes just days after Bill Haney publicly suggested that Shakur would be his preferred opponent ahead of any potential fight with Keyshawn.

While Haney didn’t dismiss Davis outright, his response made it clear which fight he viewed as the biggest draw.

The Haney-Shakur fight has been talked about for years. Both undefeated stars have a long history dating back to their amateur days and were often paired together as professionals. Even though they have competed in adjacent weight classes for most of their careers, the fight has yet to materialize.

Keyshawn has recently stepped up his pursuit of Haney, repeatedly calling for a fight and predicting it would end up being one of the most memorable fights of the year.

Haney’s latest commentary suggests that while he sees value in fighting Davis, Stevenson remains at the top of his list.

There’s no telling how soon this fight will happen, but Haney’s response made Stevenson part of the conversation again.

Davis insists on a showdown with Haney. Meanwhile, Haney seems more interested in talking about Shakur Stevenson.

After twelve rounds with Devin Haney, Regis Prograis considered how his former rival might fare against Shakur Stevenson.

Both Stevenson and Haney have recently been linked to a move to Zuffa Boxingand the constant back-and-forth, the pound-for-pound battle between the two US operators appears to be getting closer, even despite the weight difference between them.

Stevenson has only fought once at super lightweight – that was a stellar win over Teofimo Lopez – and he could probably move back to lightweight again. On the other hand, Haney is now a welterweight and his days of performing under the 147-pound limit may be over.

I’m talking to Boxing in Mill CityPrograis – whom Haney knocked down and defeated on the cards in 2023 – said that despite feeling his former opponent was “too gigantic” for the fight, he was still close to Stevenson’s victory.

“I don’t think they will fight because Haney is too gigantic. I’m not saying Shakur is a little boy, but Shakur is petite compared to Devin.

“They really have a similar style, Devin is just a bigger version. Shakur is left-handed, I think he has a little more skill in my case. But if they fought, I would still say Shakur, just because of the left-handed style. It will be close. No one will knock the other out, it would just be a boxing match. I don’t think anyone would get hurt. I don’t think it would be that invigorating. I’m betting on Shakur, but if Devin wins or draws, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Stevenson has proposed either a catchweight of 144 pounds or 147 pounds with a rehydration clause, but Haney intends not to give the smaller fighter any advantage and will apparently only take the fight at welterweight without any reservations. This condition could be the basis for an all-American superfight.

With two world titles already under his belt, attention turned to potential matchups with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Jose Benavidez Sr. says his team has already attempted to start the discussion.

“Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. I also reached out to Beterbiev’s people,” Benavidez Sr. said in an interview with MillCity Boxing. “You know, I’ll tell you, before we fought Anthony Yard, right? We’re supposed to fight Bivol. What is Bivol doing? Just give us the belt back. We didn’t want it to turn out like this.

“So then we contacted Beterbiev. He didn’t want to take the fight either. That’s why we took Anthony Yarde straight away. I thought maybe after Anthony Yarde, these guys don’t want to fight. Excuses after excuses, but when they’re on social media or anywhere else, they’re like, ‘Let’s do it.’ Let’s do it, brother.”

“It’s only them who are preventing these fights from being organized. We want these fights and we told you we want these fights. So Beterbiev, Bivol, let’s make it happen.”

Bivol and Beterbiev remain linked to a potential third fight after splitting in their first two meetings. The possibility of a trilogy continued to loom over the lithe heavyweight division as Benavidez moved up and established himself in the cruiserweight division.

Benavidez Sr. also addressed comments from members of Bivol’s camp, saying his team was only showing respect by continuing to fight.

“If Father Bivol is watching this, stop talking. You say you want to silence this guy, let’s do it. Let’s go, brother,” Jose Sr. said. “With all due respect, he’s a great coach. Bivol is a great fighter. But let’s stop talking. Let’s make these fights happen.

“We want to fight your son, brother. What’s wrong with that? In all my interviews, if you see David’s interviews, we give this guy flowers. He’s a great fighter. He’s a risky fighter. Why are you enraged because we’re calling you out? It doesn’t make sense.”

During the interview, Benavidez Sr. also mentioned WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian and reiterated that his son is willing to stay energetic while waiting for an opportunity to fight Bivol or Beterbiev.