144, 145, 147 and Out: How Shakur-Haney Died on the Scale Before It Ever Got to One

Three numbers. That's all it took.

The fight between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney looked close enough to touch a week ago. Bill Haney was talking about Nov. 28 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Both fighters were negotiating out loud on social media. Now, by Stevenson's account, it's gone.

Stevenson went to X on Friday and laid out his version. He says that late in the process, after Haney's side had agreed to 144 pounds and then to 145, Haney's lawyer emailed to say Haney would only fight at 147. Stevenson called the whole thing a big waste of everybody's time, and he didn't spell "Devin" the nice way.

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Haney fired right back, also on X. His version is that he agreed to 145, Stevenson then went missing for days and tried to add a rehydration clause on top of it, and that he spent six months negotiating with Stevenson for nothing. He also accused Stevenson's side of trying to put Keyshawn Davis in his way.

So who's telling the truth? Probably a little of both, depending on which draft of the contract you're looking at. Earlier reports had Stevenson open to 147 with a 10-pound rehydration limit, while Haney wanted 145 with no limit at all. In other words, the weight and the rehydration clause were never really separate arguments. They were the same argument.

One thing to be clear about: nobody has officially pulled the plug on Nov. 28 in Atlanta. No date was ever formally announced, and neither promoter has put out a statement. But when both fighters are posting their side of the breakdown, it's hard to see this coming together for this year.

Why big fights die

This is how a lot of the fights we want end up dying. It's not usually about money. It's about the details that decide who has the edge before the opening bell.

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Stevenson holds the WBO title at 140. Haney holds the WBO title at 147. A catchweight is supposed to meet in the middle, and a rehydration clause is how the smaller man keeps the bigger man from walking in a weight class heavier on fight night. To Haney, a cap on how much he can put back on after the weigh-in means fighting weakened. To Stevenson, no cap means giving up the whole point of meeting at 144 or 145. Neither guy is crazy. They just can't both win the negotiation.

And neither of them is short on other options or, honestly, on reasons to wait. Stevenson signed with Zuffa Boxing in July and still doesn't have a date. Haney hasn't fought since beating Brian Norman Jr. in Riyadh last November, and talks with Davis, Rolando Romero, Teofimo Lopez and Liam Paro have all fallen through. Two unbeaten champions, a combined 58-0, and nobody's booked. That's the real loss here.

Is it dead for good? In boxing, almost nothing is. Fights like this tend to come back once one side needs it more than the other.

For more on Stevenson's year of trash talk, see the Shakur pile-on, and for the other big mess at 147, catch up on Garcia-Teofimo and the Catterall order.

Whose side are you on? Is it Shakur's 145-with-a-cap, or Haney's straight 147? Start a thread in the Boxbid community and make your case.

Sources:

• Boxing News: Shakur Stevenson on Haney fight collapse
• Bad Left Hook: Haney vs Stevenson negotiations seemingly fall apart
• The Ring: Stevenson or Haney? (147 with rehydration vs. 145 without; Nov. 28 Atlanta target)
• Shakur Stevenson on X (@ShakurStevenson)
• Devin Haney on X (@Realdevinhaney)