Despite wins over a heavy hitter like William Zepeda or, more recently, Teofimo Lopez, the tag of “boring fighter” continues to haunt Shakur Stevenson. That sentiment resurfaced following his reaction to Conor Benn’s recent win over Regis Prograis. Several fans immediately rushed in to remind him how he fights.

Talks of potential matchups have surged since Benn scored a unanimous victory in the co-main event of the Netflix boxing event headlined by Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov. While he openly called out Ryan Garcia, discussion around a matchup with Shakur Stevenson also gained momentum.

However, the 140-pound titlist remains adamant. Compared to him, Benn’s skillset falls short, and any potential face-off would still require specific conditions, including a rehydration clause. “I’ve been told y’all I’m better than him,” Stevenson told Ariel Helwani.

“I’ve been told y’all he’s not on my level. I’ve been told y’all that his skills is not up to par with mine. Like I said, if he’s ready to fight, tell him to stop going on social media and making up lies, saying that I said, ‘Oh, I won’t fight that weight class.’ ‘I said I will.” “I said, with a rehydration clause, because he did it to Eubank,” he added.

“He’s not on my level. I’ve been said this, and I will beat the holy sh*t out of Conor Benn.” The comments follow his tweet after Benn defeated Regis Prograis. In light of his high-profile exit from Matchroom Boxing to join Dana White’s Zuffa, many saw Benn’s performance as falling short of expectations.

In that context, Stevenson said he would consider it a disappointment if the bout went the full distance. Shakur Stevenson was ‘very bored’ with Conor Benn’s performance over Regis Prograis: “I’ve been told y’all I’m better than him. I’ve been told y’all he’s not on my level.

I’ve been told y’all that his skills is not up to par with mine. Like I said, if he’s ready to fight, tell… pic.twitter.com/XXm0NxZuCy — Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 13, 2026 Stevenson has also made similar points regarding a potential fight with Ryan Garcia if the bout takes place at 147 pounds. “I will only do a rehydration clause for fighters if I go up to 147 pounds, because I’m not a 147-pounder,” he’s reported to have said.

Despite that stance, fan reaction around Stevenson continues to build. Shakur Stevenson catches heat after Conor Benn remarks One wrote bluntly: “If u can whoo dude so easy, why tf you need a rehydration clause? Stfu and stay at 140.” Stevenson may be speaking from a skill-to-skill perspective.

But boxing matchups often come down to size and physical advantages as well. The criticism continued to escalate. Another user wrote: “Coming from the number one boring fighter who goes all 12 rounds every fight, mind you.” Stevenson scored his last knockout 12 months ago when he stopped Josh Padley in the ninth round, though fans often judge his performances against fighters like Zepeda or Lopez through a different competitive lens.

That conversation only intensified online. A user said, “Coming from a S-tier boring fighter, you have to listen! If ANYBODY knows boring, it’s Shakur!” Another added, “Boring lol Shakur is boring .” Fighters like Rolando “Rolly” Romero have also previously called Stevenson the “most boring fighter in the history of boxing,” keeping that narrative active.

At its core, analysts and fans see Stevenson’s style as highly defensive, focused on minimizing damage and extending career longevity. That approach naturally leads to a lower knockout rate. Still, his rehydration stance continued to draw criticism.

“Says he’s not on his level yet needs a rehydration clause ,” one user said. The gap between performance and perception remains a constant talking point around Stevenson. Modern boxing, however, often splits opinion in this way.

Technical, defensive fighters like Stevenson often appeal less to casual audiences, who value knockouts over ring craft. His rehydration clause argument stands apart from his style and reflects weight management, not fighting ability, especially if he moves above 140 pounds.