Stevenson stubbornly held to his demand of 144 pounds during the Haney talks. Under that arrangement, Shakur would have moved up four pounds while Haney came down three from the welterweight limit. He negotiated as though he were the A-side and Haney needed the fight badly enough to accept those terms.
Haney owned the larger following, held the welterweight title and had no obligation to weaken himself. Shakur’s demand also conflicted with his previous willingness to face Conor Benn at the full 147-pound limit. He even offered to accept Benn’s choice of rehydration restrictions during their confrontation in February. TalkSPORT reported that Stevenson proposed the fight at 147.
If Shakur was prepared to meet Benn at welterweight, his insistence on 144 for Haney was difficult to present as a simple safety issue. The catchweight would have reduced the physical size of a more technically accomplished rival.
Vargas Offers a Marketable Defense
Stevenson now has four leading WBO contenders available at 140 pounds: Emiliano Vargas, Lindolfo Delgado, Oscar Duarte and Ernesto Mercado.
Vargas would attract the most casual attention because he is the son of former world champion Fernando Vargas. At 22, however, Emiliano lacks anything close to Shakur’s professional experience.
His rise to the No. 1 ranking has been built on wins over domestic-level opposition rather than championship contenders. His two most recent victories came against Bryce Mills and Agustin Ezequiel Quintana, neither of whom had fought near the world level before meeting him. Top Rank lists those stoppages as the leading wins on Vargas’ record.
Vargas is therefore a commercially useful but manageable choice. Critics would see Shakur picking an inexperienced prospect whose famous surname gives the fight more value than his opposition has earned.
Mercado Brings the Greater Threat
Mercado has already accused Shakur of avoiding him.
“I’m in his head. I live in his head. He don’t wanna fight me,” Mercado said during an Inside The Ring interview.
Faster than Shakur and carrying considerably more power, Mercado can close distance quickly, match his hand speed and hurt him if the exchanges become physical. Stevenson owns the superior experience, defensive skill and championship background. Those qualities make Mercado the most dangerous fighter in the WBO’s top 15. He has also pursued a bout with Vargas, yet neither of the division’s more marketable names has shown much interest in signing to face him.
The financial calculation is easy to understand. Shakur has collected major purses on Turki Alalshikh’s cards. A loss to Mercado could disrupt that lucrative run without bringing Haney’s audience or Vargas’ family name.
Vargas supplies a recognizable opponent with a large experience disadvantage. Facing Mercado would test Shakur against the most hazardous available contender. Another attempt to bring a welterweight down three pounds would confirm that Stevenson prefers a physical concession when the opposition is skilled enough to threaten his major paydays.
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