Shakur Stevenson vs. Conor Benn could be on a collision course with one another after a heated interaction with each other in-studio on The Ariel Helwani Show. Benn mentioned during the appearance on that program that he was angling for a rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. in Q3 of this year that evidently does not seem to be panning out. The operative wording that Benn used was “bottled it” to describe how Eubank Jr. has handled reported negotiations for a reported September 20th date, per Benn himself in the referenced interview.
Their first fight earlier this year was one of the most compelling contests the sport has seen this year, both in the pre-fight build and in terms of the in-ring action that transpired in April. But Benn seems to want to stay active if a Eubank Jr. sequel clash is not possible for the Fall. In that context, enter Shakur Stevenson, a slick practitioner of the sweet science who figuratively entered these fight talks with Benn after a literal entrance onto Helwani’s set.
The two accomplished pugilists got right into the verbal warfare with one another when Benn said,
“I don’t need to size him up. He’s easy work.”
Stevenson responded to that Benn comment by stating,
“Let’s make it happen though.”
At a later juncture in the heated conversation, Stevenson quipped,
“147, let’s make the fight. Not even joking.”
To that statement, Benn responded (in what could be part of the broader build and storyline for Shakur Stevenson vs. Conor Benn) by uttering,
“147. I like him, but I will throw him around like a ragdoll in there.”
Shakur Stevenson vs. Conor Benn discourse
The two boxers verbally agreed to a clash in November, with Stevenson looking to do the same thing Benn did against Eubank Jr., which is to pursue glory two weight classes above your optimal weight category. Benn has yet to challenge for world title honors, but his combat cache drew tremendously even in the loss to Eubank Jr. For Stevenson, the three-weight champion seems keen on potentially garnering another premium scalp in a different division.
The two fighters established a friendly and simple wager for if this Q4 2025 prizefight does go down, the loser of the bout will have to tell the winner that they are great. Benn’s promoter, and former Stevenson representative, Eddie Hearn stated that while Shakur Stevenson vs. Conor Benn would be a massive stadium fight in the UK, Benn is a hot attraction right now with many big names in the boxing world looking to lock in a matchup with the UK standout.
