“I’ve been told y’all I’m better than him. I’ve been told y’all he’s not on my level. I’ve been told y’all that his skills is not up to par with mine,” said Shakur to Ariel Helwani, boasting about being better than Benn.
Stevenson called Benn “green” against an opponent he described as “well past his time.” He added that Benn is improving, but said, “he can’t catch up to me.”
Shakur is one of the most calculating minds in the sport, and he doesn’t call people out by accident. Seeing Benn struggle with a 37-year-old Regis Prograis, who has clearly lost a step since the Haney and Taylor fights, is like an invitation for a technician like Shakur.
Stevenson said he would move up to 147 pounds for the fight under a rehydration clause, pointing to the terms Benn required in his two fights with Chris Eubank Jr.
“I’m down. I done said I was down before. I’m only interested because when I said, ‘Let’s do it,’ every fan said, ‘He’s too small. He’s going to get beat up.’ So let’s make the fight happen. Let me show y’all why I will beat the holy s*** out of Conor Benn,” said Stevenson.
That quote really highlights the chip on Shakur’s shoulder. It’s all about the perceived disrespect from fans who think a “small” technician can’t handle a naturally bigger puncher.
Shakur is fueled by that too small narrative. When fans doubt his physical durability or his ability to carry power up in weight, he takes it personally. By targeting Benn, he’s looking to pull off a skills pay the bills masterclass that silences the critics who value raw size over ring IQ.
Usually, Shakur is the cool, defensive wizard, but saying he wants to “beat the holy s***” out of someone suggests he’s looking to change his reputation.
He wants to destroy Benn to prove a point to the entire 147-pound division. By mentioning the rehydration clause, Shakur is basically saying, “If we make the playing field even, he has nothing for me.”
Shakur knows that a dominant win over a big name like Benn, especially if he gets the stoppage he’s hinting at, instantly makes him a major player at welterweight.He’s definitely worked himself up, but it feels less like emotional anger and more like a predator who has already mapped out exactly how the hunt is going to go.
“With a fight with me, I know that he’s looking like, ‘Yeah, I’m not on that level,’ so he probably won’t prefer a fight with me over a Ryan Garcia fight,” said Stevenson about Benn.
By saying Benn knows he isn’t on Shakur’s level, Stevenson is trying to goad Benn into proving him wrong. He’s essentially calling Benn a clout chaser who wants the big-money Ryan Garcia fight but is terrified of the actual “Boogeyman” of the division.
Shakur is implying that Benn’s camp sees Ryan as “beatable” or at least a “shootout” where Benn has a puncher’s chance. In contrast, Shakur represents a “technical nightmare” where Benn might not even be able to land a clean shot.
