Shakur Stevenson has informed the WBC that he is looking to enforce his WBC mandatory shot against Devin Haney.
Stevenson became the WBC mandatory following his sixth-round-stoppage win over Shuichiro Yoshino.
While that may have been the case, the attempts at securing a shot with Haney have been far from easy.
The ‘Dream’ has been linked with a rematch with Vasiliy Lomachenko, while there is also talk that Haney could move up to 140 lbs to face Regis Prograis for the WBC junior welterweight belt.
In and amongst that, a 25 percent offer was made by Haney to Shakur for the fight. However, the latter rejected it on the basis that the offer did not reflect his true value.
But rather than hang round, Stevenson is looking to make Haney comply with his obligations.
Shakur Stevenson Tired of Waiting, Contacts WBC To Order Devin Haney Mandatory Fight https://t.co/ZeqJSGnyxE pic.twitter.com/HK08vQnCm1
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) July 11, 2023
“Consistent with WBC Rule 3.7, Shakur Stevenson has been designated the mandatory challenger for Lightweight Champion Devin Haney.
“While we have tried for the last several weeks to negotiate a bout with Mr. Haney on Mr. Stevenson’s behalf, we have not made much progress.
“Therefore, we respectfully ask that the WBC officially order the bout pursuant to Rule 2.8 so that the “Free Negotiations Period” can begin. I am confident that once the thirty (30) day negotiation deadline is set, we will make more headway.
“In the event we cannot reach an agreement, Mr. Stevenson intends to enforce his mandatory position through the purse bid process,” Stevenson’s representatives
The strategic move will put Haney on the back foot. The failure to enforce the mandatory will most likely suggest that the ‘Dream’ ducked Stevenson.
Meanwhile, facing Stevenson is no mean feat. So the question now is will the fight happen?