“If he wants a rehydration clause, pay me $20 million, and I might consider it. $20 million, that’s the number, but I would be happy to give him a beating for free as well,” said Conor Benn to Ring Magazine on X, reacting to Shakur Stevenson saying he would want a 10-lb rehydration clause if he were to fight him.
“He ain’t calling not shots,” said Conor.
Shakur, 28, is getting ahead of himself by talking about a potential fight against Conor Benn at 147 in 2026. He still needs to win his fight against WBO 140-lb champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31st before he can start talking about fighting other guys.
That fight is far from a sure-thing win for Stevenson, as he lacks power, even at 135. Going up to light welterweight could make his lack of punching power even more pronounced. He looked weak in his fight against William Zepeda last July and spent most of the fight with his back pinned to the ropes.
It was a strange fight in which Stevenson was riddled with punches from Zepeda, and occasionally he would land a return shot.
Assuming Shakur does defeat Teofimo, he’s going to have to decide how badly he wants the Conor Benn fight. His demand for a 10-lb rehydration clause doesn’t sound like it’s going to be agreed upon. Beating Teo isn’t going to raise Shakur’s popularity enough for him to demand a weight handicap and expect it to be given to him against Benn.
For Stevenson’s popularity to rise significantly, he’s going to need to beat the dangerous 140-pounders, like Gary Antuanne Russell, Ernesto Mercado, and Subriel Matias. If he can beat those types of fighters, he’d be in a better position to call the shots in a fight against Benn to demand a weight handicap.
