Tim Bradley has had enough.
On Ring Magazine’s Inside The Ring, the Hall of Famer let his frustration with the Devin Haney–Shakur Stevenson saga boil over — and in the process, he completed one of the sharpest U-turns in recent boxing commentary.
Just weeks ago, Bradley was torching Stevenson on his own channel, accusing him of “moving scared” for not taking the 144-lb catchweight when Haney agreed to it. “You had an opportunity to fight [Devin] Haney at 144lbs and, for whatever reason, you weren’t comfortable with that,” Bradley said. “Then you put more and more things on top of that after Haney said what he said.”
Now? Bradley says Haney can’t beat Stevenson at any weight.
“As I study this fight and study your style, it don’t matter what weight Devin Haney is at,” Bradley said. “Devin can be 200lbs — he cannot beat you.”
The challenge: no asterisk
Bradley’s new position comes with a dare attached. He wants Stevenson to stop negotiating at catchweights and take Haney at the full welterweight limit — at Haney’s best, so nobody can diminish the win.
“You don’t want nothing attached to this when you whoop his a**, you don’t want no asterisk,” Bradley said. “You want to whoop Devin’s a** at his full potential!”
It’s a striking message from a man who built his reputation on never ducking anyone: stop haggling over pounds and clauses, and prove the greatness you keep talking about.
The stall hasn’t moved
Here’s the problem Bradley keeps running into: the fight itself hasn’t moved either.
The two verbally agreed to 145 lbs after the latest round of their endlessly public negotiation. We documented the full timeline of the beef, the weight games, and Stevenson’s history of collapsed negotiations in yesterday’s ducking file — and nothing has changed since: a verbal agreement, no signatures.
Meanwhile the clock is ticking on both men. Stevenson, who hasn’t fought since taking the WBO 140-lb title from Teofimo Lopez in January, is being linked to a super-lightweight unification with Gary Antuanne Russell for his Zuffa Boxing debut. Haney has the WBO breathing down his neck with mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis waiting at welterweight.
Bradley’s real point
Strip away the flip-flopping and Bradley’s message has actually been consistent: fight somebody. Whether he was calling Stevenson scared or telling him Haney can’t touch him, the demand is the same — sign a contract, pick a weight, and get in the ring.
“Prove your greatness and you have got to take chances,” Bradley said. On that, at least, everyone paying attention agrees.
Watch Bradley’s full comments on Ring Magazine’s Inside The Ring below.
Video credit: Ring Magazine — Inside The Ring.
