Devin Haney better hurry. The window may close, and with it, a big payout and a legacy matchup against Shakur Stevenson may fall out of reach. Last month, the Newark native convincingly dominated Teofimo Lopez to claim the WBO and The Ring light welterweight championships. Ever ambitious to expand his horizons, Stevenson now believes a matchup against the newly crowned WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia could be more feasible. But his callout comes with a condition. In the latest episode of “All The Smoke Fight,” Andre Ward probed – between Garcia and Haney – which fight he felt appeared more realistic.

“Honestly, I don’t see either happening at 147 pounds,” responded Stevenson. “Unless it’s under the rehydration rules that I mentioned. So if not, I don’t see that happening right now.

“Now, in the future, as I grow and get more settled, maybe so, but as of right now, no, I don’t see it happening at that weight class. Now, Ryan Garcia, he said 144. If he’s willing to do that, I’m willing to make the fight happen. But Ryan sounds more realistic because he’s ready to move around.”

Shakur Stevenson‘s confidence in a Garcia fight likely stems from their recent exchanges on social media. Days before the Victorville native faced Mario Barrios, Stevenson called him out for a catchweight fight at 144 pounds, with the deal to include regular VADA testing.

After the Barrios fight, when he publicly mentioned his name in front of a cheering crowd at the T-Mobile Arena, Ryan Garcia challenged Stevenson to forgo the catchweight condition. In response to the welterweight champion’s cryptic post, Stevenson added that he had no reservations about their matchup.

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Adding to that, for Garcia, the prospects of the much-anticipated rematch with Devin Haney now appear slim.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Ryan Garcia: Ready now or not yet?

The real question is – even if Garcia makes 144 pounds at catchweight – will that be a sound move? He’s already paid for that experiment with the rehydration clause during the Tank Davis fight. During his subsequent fights, when he moved up in weight class against Oscar Duarte and Haney, he looked much bigger for the division.

Finally, at 147 pounds, he seems to have found his natural movement and pace without compromising his rhythm.

So why would he want to abandon that advantage for a fight where his legacy could once again be at risk? Since the 2024 fight against Haney, it has taken nearly two years—through controversies, suspension, expulsion, lawsuits, and even a loss—for Garcia to make a comeback and become a first-time title holder.

Looking at the situation, the latest episode of “3 Knockdown Rule” saw Steve Kim and Mario Lopez figure out a more realistic approach. It’s closer to what Shakur Stevenson hinted at. Given their history, a fight or a rematch between Ryan Garcia and either Devin Haney or Rolly Romero appears more imminent. The time frame would allow Stevenson to scale up physically and prepare for a face-off against Garcia, hopefully by next year.

“And then I think it allows time for Shakur to build his way up to 147, and then next year, Cinco de Mayo, we get that or maybe even in September we get that fight,” Lopez speculated. “I think at that point that would be the biggest fight in boxing.”

With that in mind, Ryan Garcia’s latest tweet about 140 pounds and no rehydration clause may throw a wrench into Stevenson’s plans.

At the beginning of the “All The Smoke Fight” podcast, Stevenson revealed that after 140 pounds – his fourth division – he wants to finish at 147. So he might as well wait and see.