Who do you like if Devin Haney vs Shakur Stevenson gets signed?
Scott Christ
There is a belief in our comments section that I don’t like watching Devin Haney’s fights, and that I think he’s overrated, and that’s unfair. I hate watching most of Devin Haney’s fights, and I think he’s very good at what he does, too.
And in this case, and there aren’t many cases like it, I don’t think what he does will amount to much within this specific matchup. Haney’s jab-and-clinch style really is effective, and this isn’t to make out like Stevenson is routinely exciting to watch, either,
he isn’t, but Shakur has shown more gears he can go to, and I don’t know if we’ve seen all the gears he can go to, either.
I happen to think it’s a fight that might bring out the best in both guys and be more “entertaining” or “watchable” than most will suspect, though. They’re not going to go out and have a slugfest, but there is ego here. These guys both fashion themselves as master technicians, and they might really look to prove a point with a little more output, a little more tactical aggression. I think you’d need to see Haney start a bit faster than normal to get there, though; if Devin comes out and fights with his normal tempo, he’s going to find it very hard to get any momentum, and he might be out of the race before the eighth round starts.
I think Shakur wins wide either way. It’s really nothing against Devin here. I just believe that Shakur Stevenson is every bit as good as he says he is.
Wil Esco
I can’t deny the fact I think this potential matchup has all the makings for terrible viewing from a fan’s perspective, and this is coming from someone who really wanted to see the Lomachenko vs Rigdondeaux fight happen. In that instance I couldn’t help but be intrigued enough to want to see the chess match play out between two of boxing’s best minds in the ring, even if there was a physical gap in size between them. That fight turned out to be quite underwhelming, no doubt, and for me this fight has significantly less intrigue.
If I’m strictly assessing the matchup between Devin and Shakur, I just feel like Shakur would have the edge. Shakur is clearly the better defensive fighter and while Devin may have a really good jab, that accounts for just about all of his offensive attack. I just have a hard time really seeing Devin having any consistent success landing that jab with any regularity, which is going to make it hard for him to tally up points. Shakur is no offensive whirlwind himself, but I think his offense mixed with his defense gives him a clearer path to victory.
John Hansen
I wouldn’t “like” either of them. I’d rather a team of guys who get erections from Dale Carnegie books pitch me a timeshare presentation than watch Devin Haney fight Shakur Stevenson.
BUT, if I’m picking a winner? Shakur. Shakur evolved into the highest and best version of what Devin Haney dreamed of being back in his most promising era. Even the thought of this fight makes me feel like I need a hug, though. And, not from either of these guys. I’d obviously want the hug to stop at some point.
Patrick Stumberg
Shakur Stevenson and it’s not close.
I hold deep antipathy for Shakur Stevenson on both a moral and spoiled consumer level. I am terrible at keeping my personal feelings separate from my professional analysis, as my long string of picking against the Diaz brothers on MMA Mania can attest. When even I can accept that this guy’s the goods, it means something.
It’s just not clear to me what Haney is supposed to do in this matchup unless the referee allows the sort of extended clinching you’d need an intimacy coordinator to manage. He’s the bigger man, but Stevenson’s never needed a knockout and it’s not like a few pounds’ size difference is going to cure Haney of the feather fists that’ve sent him to the scorecards 11 straight times over the last seven years. Stevenson has him sorely outclassed in Haney’s preferred slow-paced slog and proved against William Zepeda that he can knuckle down and work his magic against someone unafraid to bring the fight to him.
Stranger things have happened, arguably, but when your only plausible path to victory against Shakur Stevenson is to make the fight even more unwatchable than Stevenson’s benchmark, it doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. Stevenson UD, Haney gets three rounds if the judges are participation trophy types.
