Shakur Said Yes to 145 — Now We Wait to See If Haney Actually Signs

LAS VEGAS — The biggest all-American fight in boxing just got a lot closer. Shakur Stevenson has publicly accepted Devin Haney's proposal of a 145-pound catchweight with no rehydration clause, posting on X: "145.0 U GOT A DEAL DEEHOE!!!!" Haney quoted the message within the hour: "Crown me #1 P4P after this InshaAllah."

Let's be precise about what happened here, because the distinction matters. The two unbeaten stars have agreed on a weight. They have not announced a signed contract, a venue, or a confirmed date. What they have is something negotiations previously lacked: both fighters publicly agreeing to the same contracted weight, on the record, in front of everybody.

The weight itself tells the story of the negotiation. Stevenson, the four-division world champion from Newark, had been pushing for 144 pounds — a pound below what Haney offered — along with a 10-pound rehydration cap to limit how much size Haney could regain after the weigh-in. Haney, the WBO welterweight champion, countered with 145 and no rehydration clause whatsoever for a December date.

"145.0 U GOT A DEAL DEEHOE!!!!"— Shakur Stevenson on X, accepting Haney's terms

Stevenson's message addresses the first condition — the contracted weight. It does not mention the second. If he is accepting Haney's proposal in full, he is conceding more than a single pound. Without the rehydration cap Stevenson wanted, Haney could replenish without restriction, potentially carrying a meaningful size advantage into the ring. That was the entire reason behind Stevenson's earlier insistence on the cap: coming up from 140 pounds — his career-high weight for January's schooling of Teofimo Lopez — he wanted some control over the size of the opponent he would actually face on fight night.

Haney, meanwhile, is already naming his reward. "Crown me #1 P4P after this" is not just trash talk; it is a declaration of what he believes beating Stevenson is worth. And he has a case worth hearing. Stevenson became boxing's third-youngest four-division world champion when he dismantled Lopez to claim the WBO super-lightweight crown. Haney took the WBO welterweight title from Brian Norman Jr. last November and has not fought since. A win over either man is the best victory available to the other.

The size question is real, though. At 145 pounds, the fight sits five pounds above Stevenson's last contracted weight and two below the welterweight limit — closer to Haney's territory than Stevenson's. Haney would deserve full credit for solving one of the most elusive defenses in the sport, but the terms under which he does it will be part of how history grades the win.

"Devin can be 200lbs — he cannot beat you. He can't touch you in any weight class."— Tim Bradley, on his YouTube channel, picking Stevenson

Not everyone is weighing the size disadvantage the same way. Two-division champion Tim Bradley, speaking on his YouTube channel, dismissed the weight gap entirely and picked Stevenson with something approaching certainty — while urging him to take the fight at Haney's full strength so no asterisk attaches to what would be a career-best win.

There is also the promotional machinery to consider. Stevenson signed with Zuffa Boxing in July, and the outfit has yet to put its new four-division champion on Paramount+. A Haney fight in December would be the kind of debut that justifies the signing — if the teams can finish the deal.

What comes next is the unglamorous part: contracts, rehydration language, a venue, a date. The public has seen the weight agreed in real time. The rest happens in rooms without cameras. But for the first time in this long-running negotiation, both fighters are pointing at the same number — and in boxing, that is how superfights start.