Shakur Stevenson thinks Haney fight will happen sooner or later

There is no question that Shakur Stevenson's patience will be tried. At 130 pounds, Stevenson easily dispatched his outclassed opponents before being forcefully removed from his title throne.

Stevenson's coronation was right away planned ahead of his confrontation with Robson Conceicao in September of 2022. The former Olympic silver medalist snatched Oscar Valdez's WBC championship before his previous match and added it to his WBO title collection. However, the 25-year-old was stripped right away because he didn't make weight.

Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) originally felt discouraged but soon got over it and decided to move up to 135 pounds. Stevenson will formally face Shuichiro Yoshino on April 8 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in his lightweight debut.

Stevenson believes that winning his forthcoming fight is merely a formality. Stevenson isn't gazing past Yoshino, but he is scanning the horizon.

Devin Haney, the only undisputed champion in the division, will allegedly face Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 to defend his WBC, WBO, IBF, and WBA titles. Stevenson would adore the opportunity to take on Lomachenko again if the Las Vegas native manages to hold the Ukrainian at bay and wins.

Nevertheless, after his fight with Lomachenko, Haney has toyed with the idea of moving up to the super lightweight division. But if Haney were ready to extend his stay a little bit, Stevenson would seize the chance to take on him next.

“Honestly, after his fight with Lomachenko, if he’s willing to stay and I get a shortcut to getting all the belts at once, I’m down with that,” said Stevenson to Thaboxingvoice.

Before providing Haney his full attention, Stevenson is well aware that if he doesn't take care of business on April 8th, his hopes and dreams may be abandoned. Yoshino not only has a perfect record, but he also recently beat Masayoshi Nakatani in a brutal knockout.

Stevenson is still thought of as a huge favourite despite his recent run of success. In the end, Stevenson feels that a matchup between himself and Haney is more a question of when than if, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. The 2016 runner-up is absolutely certain that his name and Haney's will both be remembered after the dust settles because their identities are inextricably linked.

“I know that Devin Haney is a tough opponent. I feel like me and him was bound to fight and meant to fight. Whether it’s right now or later. We’re two top-level fighters. When the time is right, we gonna pop it off.”