During the latest episode of Brian Custer’s The Last Stand Podcast, Shakur Stevenson talks about the recent bad news that his fight with Frank Martin won’t be happening after all and his inability to get other big names to fight him, including Vasiliy Lomachenko and Devin Haney. Check out some excerpts of what he had to say below.
Stevenson on why his fight with Martin fell apart
“I think Frank Martin got cold feet. I think that before the fight was signed it sounded good, everything sounded good, but once the fight came to fruition I feel like he got real nervous and didn’t want to fight no more.
“But his excuses and his reasoning, he will tell you that it wasn’t enough money. But truthfully speaking, it was quadruple more than he’s ever made in his entire career. And that’s a fact.
“The numbers he done made in his career was — the highest — was $250,000. That fight that he would’ve just fought, he would have fought for a world title and he would’ve fought for a million dollars or so.”
On why he believes Martin would pull out of an agreed fight
“I don’t think fighters want to lose. I think that deep down inside he know that I’m one of the best fighters in boxing. And like I said, I don’t think he wanted to lose when it came down to it. If he’s gonna take an L he want to make ten times more than he ever made in his career. I guess four times is not enough.”
On Martin suggesting maybe Stevenson should’ve accepted less money to make the fight
“My problem with what he said was — you shouldn’t speak on nobody else situation if you don’t know the details. So when he went and said stuff about me and not knowing my situation, not knowing the details of what happened in the situation, it just turned around and slapped him in the face.
“Plus, my situation and his situation were two different situations. I’m a fighter. I love boxing, I love to fight. I would never turn down quadruple more than I ever made for a world title (shot). Would never do that.”
On his frustrations about not being able to get top fighters around his weight class to fight him
“I mean it’s very, very, very frustrating. It’s stressful, frustrating. I try to make the biggest fights happen and the best fights happen. With the Lomachenko situation, that was another guy who was offered the most money he would’ve ever made in his entire career to fight me — he said no. With the Frank Martin situation, he was offered the most money that he would ever make in his career to fight me — he said no. So, honestly, it’s very frustrating trying to get these guys in the ring to fight me.”
On what he thinks it’s going to take to finally get his marquee fight
“I don’t know. That’s out of my power. I can only control what I can control, and what’s in my control is staying focused, staying in the gym, staying in shape and being ready for whenever the time comes.
“I don’t know what I got to do to get these guys in the ring. Maybe I have to go out there and have a bad performance. I probably got to go have a close fight with somebody andthen maybe somebody will get into the ring with me.”
On his beef with Devin Haney and wanting to fight him
“I want the fight. I’m the guy who went in the ring. I’m the guy who went to him, I’m the guy who started the chaos. I want the fight, I want the drama, I want the smoke. I’m with that. But at the end of the day he tried to lowball me, he tried to throw something out there that was nothing. It was pennies. My last three fights I made more than what he offered.
“So since I was offered less we went another route. We didn’t just say no to the fight. I went and made myself mandatory for the belt, and I expressed my mandatory position, and now you see me fighting for the WBC title that’s his. I’m fighting for his belt. So the world can put together what really happened.”