Keith Thurman has questioned the gumption of one man as he considers who would emerge triumphant between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney.
The two pound-for-pound stars are in deep negotiations, with November 28 and Atlanta having been proposed as the respective date and location for their showdown.
Or at least, this was according to Devin’s father and trainer, Bill Haney, who expressed confidence that their all-American fight would become a reality.
Since those details were suggested, however, it has been reported that a money-related hurdle could cause their contest to take place at a later date.
As for the matchup itself, many would give the edge to Stevenson based on his wide unanimous decision victory over Teofimo Lopez in January.
Back then, the 29-year-old became a four-division world champion and could soon compete at a higher weight, with Haney having seemingly agreed to meet at 145lbs.
As the naturally bigger man, ‘The Dream’ comes off a unanimous decision victory over Brian Norman Jr, who he dethroned for the WBO world welterweight title in November.
But despite Haney’s size advantage, former world champion Thurman has told FightHype that he is not convinced by the 27-year-old’s ability to dog it out in the trenches.
“[It’s] not even just the defence [of Stevenson, but also] the speed. Speed kills.
“I favour Shakur in that matchup, because I’ve never seen one ounce of dog [in Haney], and I don’t know if a non-dog will be able to beat a Shakur.”
Given that he survived three knockdowns against Ryan Garcia, and overcame a late scare in his 2021 encounter with Jorge Linares, you could argue that there is, in fact, sufficient evidence to reflect Haney’s resolve.
