After his victory over Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson quickly announced that he wanted to move up a weight class and fight Connor Benn.

Stevenson forced himself into the top-ranked heavyweight conversation in twelve expert bouts with Lopez at super lightweight, Dominate “Takeover” with timing, counterattacks and one of the best jabs in the business.

While Stevenson staying at 140 pounds was an exciting prospect for fans, he confronted Benn after the fight, exacerbating an unlikely but already brewing rivalry. The new champion said:

“We can get it, boy. I want the same rehydration clause you did with (Chris) Eubank Jr., I want the fight. I have too many skills. Sign the contract and let’s make it happen.”

Ben – has fought Eubank Jr. twice at middleweight But he has made it clear that he will move down to welterweight for his next fight – a challenge he accepted.

However, when Stevenson was told at a press conference that Benn had rejected the 10-pound rehydration clause, he said it was a deal-breaker.

“If he doesn’t agree to it, then we’re probably not going to fight. So he’s just wasting his time. We’ll see. At the end of the day, I’m a businessman. Like I said, he signed a rehydration clause with Chris Eubank, who was half-dead in the ring. Why can’t he do the same thing?”

It remains to be seen how the negotiations progress. Benn became a big star in the UK after defeating Eubank in the rematch after losing his first fight, and he has also been linked with Rolando Romero. Or the winner of Mario Barrio vs. Ryan Garcia.