“Business of Boxing Is Harsh”: Shakur Stevenson Diplomatically Addresses Ryan Garcia Ban, Devin Haney Lawsuit

Nearly seven months after he became a world title holder for the third time and then followed it with a retirement announcement, Shakur Stevenson will be returning to defend his title from Artem Harutyunyan. He will meet the Armenian-German boxer on July 6, in front of a home crowd, at Newark’s Prudential Center. Jeff Zimmerman from FightHype was in conversation with ‘Sugar’. The duo went through a range of topics.

Shakur Stevenson’s name has been routinely making it for a potential match-up with Gervonta Davis. It’s been increasingly suggested that after the latter’s KO win over Frank Martin, his next opponent could be Vasyl Lomachenko. So sooner or later, the ‘Tank’ may zero in on Stevenson for title unification, if that’s the plan. But before they could go through the nitty-gritties of the future fights, Zimmerman and the Olympic silver medalist touched upon the whole drama that has unfolded over the past few weeks at the division above—the Ryan Garcia doping scandal and Devin Haney’s situation.

On the fence: Shakur Stevenson addresses the Ryan Garcia drug controversy and Devin Haney’s dilemma

So Zimmerman started by checking what Shakur Stevenson thought of the 1-year ban imposed on ‘KingRy’. Since, reportedly, in another interview, he opined that the duration wasn’t sufficient and that it should have been more. The FightHype contributor shared that Garcia would be taking home his share of the PPV revenue. It amounts to approximately $30 million. He asked Stevenson how he felt.

Unlike boxers like him or Devin Haney, for whom boxing means everything, Ryan Garcia marked his presence just to ‘cash out’. “I mean, maybe it could have been,” said Shakur Stevenson. “I don’t know. I don’t know what was in his playing. Uh, it’s hard for me to really give an opinion on something that I don’t really know too much about. Yeah, I don’t know.”

Next, Jeff Zimmerman picked up Devin Haney’s case. There were reports that he planned to file a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia. It follows the purse bid failure for the Sandor Martin fight. So Zimmerman wanted to know what the lightweight champion thought of Haney’s situation.

Wishing ‘The Dream’ nothing but the best, Shakur Stevenson acknowledged the kind of predicament the light welterweight champion faces. “I would hate to be involved in it, so like I said, I really don’t know much about it,” he said. However, he hoped that Haney would pull himself through the tight spot he is in currently. Stevenson said to FightHype, “Boxing is a business, so the business of boxing is harsh, but, uh, I guess um we just got to keep pulling through.”

Finally, Jeff Zimmerman wanted to know whether Devin Haney would take a turn for the better. The lightweight champion remained as calculated as ever. Though it might prove challenging, anyone can make a comeback. If required, he can take a break and take some time off from boxing. A big part of the problem is mental. Stevenson emphasized, “I think it’s more so mentally that’s going to be the toughest part because mentally it kind of seemed like it was like a very, very bad night, and I wish nothing but best.”

Not Enough: ‘The Dream’ on disciplinary actions against ‘KingRy’

No sooner had the news of Ryan Garcia’s suspension and other punitive actions begun settling down that another report caused consternation on social media. Devin Haney was planning to proceed with further legal action against Garcia. Speaking with Dan Rafael on ‘Title Sports Net’, ‘The Dream’ said, “I think he should have been banned for even longer. I think he should be banned from boxing, um, because and I think he should have been fined more. I think that I should have been receiving, you know, some of the money…because I was the one taking the punches in there…”

Haney agreed with Rafael that the Garcia fight and the unfolding drama have had a cascading effect on his career. Then he revealed that his legal team might be going ahead with further legal action against ‘KingRy’. “Because it it has affected me, not only, you know, my… financially but you know mentally everything,” said the former undisputed lightweight champion.

The situation appears to be all the more intriguing. Both boxers have given hints of a rematch once they are back after a year or so. Hence, how it plays out in the larger scheme of things, fans would be eagerly watching out for.

What’s your take on Shakur Stevenson’s replies? Please share your views with us in the comments below.