Shakur Stevenson has assessed Conor Benn’s boxing ability while insisting that, in reality, the 29-year-old never wanted to fight him as he now looks set to face Ryan Garcia instead.
Benn jumped in the ring shortly after Stevenson unanimously outpointed Teofimo Lopez in January, giving the impression that he genuinely wanted to face the four-division world champion.
According to Stevenson, though, ‘The Destroyer’ was never willing to entertain their potential encounter, hence why he is now pursuing a clash with Garcia.
The pair are expected to collide for Garcia’s WBC welterweight title later this year, depending on how Zuffa Boxing deal with a cease and desist letter sent by Golden Boy.
Oscar De La Hoya’s promotional outfit allege that Garcia, who is reportedly still under contract, was in no position to enter negotiations without their consent.
Benn, however, is set to earn an eventual world title shot either way, given that he is the WBC’s mandatory challenger at 147lbs.
The Ilford man secured and retained this position by scoring back-to-back points victories over Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis in November and April, respectively.
In terms of his credentials at world level, though, Stevenson has told All The Smoke Fight that he feels Benn’s commercial influence explains why he is the WBC’s No.1 contender.
“We reached out and we said, ‘Let’s do it’. I heard from people very close to him that that [fight] ain’t what they really want.
“As a fighter, he’s levels below [me]. But what I will say about Conor Benn is he’s very focused and he is getting better – he’s not just staying in the same spot.
“I think that Conor Benn is a hell of a businessman – he’s a low-level fighter making top-tier money. [Regarding the weight difference], you’ve got to realise that Conor Benn’s not no super-big guy. He’s very small.”
If Garcia ends up locking horns with Benn, this would be his first world title defence since dethroning Mario Barrios with a unanimous decision victory in February.