In the early hours of August 4 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, a boxing event took place, headlined by Terence Crawford's debut in the junior middleweight division against Israil Madrimov. The event also featured fighters like Isaac Cruz, Jose Valenzuela, David Morrell, Andy Ruiz, Jarrell Miller, Jared Anderson, Martin Bakole, and others.
Among the celebrities from the world of cinema, music, and sports, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) and IBF titleholder in the same category, Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs), were present in the stands and got into a heated verbal exchange.
During the conversation, Lomachenko suggested they step into the ring and fight right then and there, to which Shakur agreed, but security was already between them.
Later, the Ukrainian champion commented on the situation.
– What happened between you and Stevenson?
– He just wants money. He asked me about a fight. He wants to use my name to make money. That's all.
– What did you say to him?
– "Okay, let's fight right now."
– Will you consider this fight when you return? It's said you want to take a break. But when you return – is this the opponent you want to fight?
– Of course.
Let's recall, Lomachenko was negotiating a fight with WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), but the deal fell through because Vasyl lacked the motivation to enter the ring before the end of the year.
In May, Vasyl Lomachenko defeated George Kambosos (21-3, 10 KOs) by technical knockout in the 11th round. Shakur Stevenson won a unanimous decision against Artem Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) on July 6.