After enduring constant criticism, Shakur Stevenson stepped into the ring last Saturday night with something to prove—and he most certainly delivered. In a high-action bout, the 28-year-old absorbed his share of punishment and was often backed against the ropes by William Zepeda’s relentless volume. Still, Stevenson’s poise and precision carried him to a dominant, unanimous decision win. But his winning streak didn’t end there—outside the ring, he also shut down Conor Benn with a sharp verbal jab.

After the bout ended, the Newark native appeared in an interview with Ariel Helwani on the latter’s popular The Ariel Helwani Show. During the interview, he joined the United Kingdom’s Conor Benn, who is supposed to fight rival Chris Eubank Jr. in a rematch on September 20th in London. Regardless, the duo quickly got into a heated exchange when Benn, who has been critical of Stevenson’s fights in the past over social media and interviews, finally praised him for his latest performance. 

Benn argued that even though Stevenson stood in the middle of the ring and fought Zepeda this time, most of his previous fights were boring because Stevenson mostly ran, and a majority of people don’t enjoy such fights. “No, people like watching me fight. People [who] study boxing love watching me fight,” Stevenson responded. However, ‘The Destroyer’ Benn stood behind his opinion, adding, “I hate watching you fight.” This immediately forced a retort from Stevenson, which might have stung Benn. 

“I hate watching you fight,” Stevenson repeated, adding, “I don’t learn s**t. You don’t teach me [anything]. There’s nothing I can learn from watching Conor Benn.” This launched Benn to chant “don’t lie,” before he told Stevenson that he can learn to have the heart to fight and “a big pair of c***nes…”

Furthermore, Benn argued, “You are too good to get hit by a 147 [pounds] fighter.” In response, Stevenson suggested Benn should have that opinion, but he put Benn in check with a one-liner. “All I’m saying is, we get in the ring, there’s gonna be a big skill gap.” While the rivalry between Shakur Stevenson and Conor Benn heats up, Benn’s rematch against Chris Eubank Jr. seems to be facing some issues. 

Team Conor Benn gives Chris Eubank Jr. 24 hours to agree to a rematch, or Shakur Stevenson may take his place

In case the Eubank Jr. rematch doesn’t happen, Benn is ready to face WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson at 147 pounds instead. “We can do the [Stevenson] fight next,” Benn said, with Stevenson sitting next to him. In response, Stevenson warned, “I’m down… But don’t go fighting Eubank and take a lot of punishment, and after I beat you, say, ‘I had two wars with Chris Eubank Jr.’” 

Interestingly, even though His Excellency Turki Alalshikh confirmed the rematch, Conor Benn’s team has given Eubank Jr. a 24-hour deadline to confirm their long-anticipated rematch on September 20. Reports say Alalshikh announced the fight without consulting any of the parties involved, and it would take place at 160 pounds with a 10-pound rehydration clause, which Eubank Jr. seems to now resent. 

“He’s had what, 15, 17 fights at 160? But obviously, he had pre-planned all of this with the weight cut… It was a good narrative to push,” Benn said. Later in the interview, Eddie Hearn joined the conversation and shared his frustration over an impromptu call. “We’re waiting,” Hearn said. “These people are so painful. They signed a contract [for] a two-fight deal. We told them September 20 [or] 27. They said, ‘That’s fine.’.. Everybody wants to fight him. We need an answer, and hopefully that will come, I think, in the next 24 hours, so we stand by.”

Shakur Stevenson and Conor Benn started their conversation with an argument, but they seem to have settled on fighting each other. However, for this fight to happen next, Chris Eubank Jr. will have to move out of the way. Only time will tell whether that happens, but the prospect of the fight is undeniably exciting. What do you think of the potential bout?