Benn mocked the idea of a rehydration clause and told Stevenson to stop tweeting and actually fight at 147 or 154. That has turned the whole thing into a public dispute over whether either man genuinely wants the bout or is just using the other’s name.
Stevenson’s new post gives the story a sharper edge because he is no longer only talking about weight. He is now saying his side made direct contact and that Benn’s team did not want to move it along.
Shakur is hanging his hat on the fact that his team actually initiated contact. In his mind, “we reached out” equals “we want the fight.” By calling Benn “scared,” he’s trying to shame him into the ring, hoping public pressure will outweigh Benn’s refusal to budge on the weight.
Benn isn’t denying that calls were made. His stance has been consistent: if Shakur wants to be a five-division champ, he has to do it at 147 without a weight handicap. To Benn, asking for a rehydration clause is the same as not wanting the fight at all.
Conor, 29, just came off a massive payday, reportedly around $15 million, for his fight against Regis Prograis under the Zuffa Boxing banner. He’s currently the #1 contender for the WBC welterweight title and is heavily linked to a massive August fight with Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.
From Benn’s perspective, why take a massive pay cut to satisfy Shakur’s weight stipulations when he can make eight figures fighting Ryan Garcia or chasing a WBC belt?
Benn holds the big man card. He knows Shakur is the one looking to move up, so he’s making Shakur pay the size tax.
Shakur is smart. He knows that by claiming Benn’s team “backed away,” he plants a seed of doubt in the fans’ minds. It shifts the conversation from “Shakur is too small/demanding” to “Benn is terrified of the skill gap.”
In reality, it’s a business deadlock. Shakur won’t fight without protection against a guy who rehydrates like a middleweight, and Benn won’t give up his primary physical advantage for a fighter he already finds “boring” to watch.
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