Shakur Stevenson wants to fight Devin Haney or Vasiliy Lomachenko next.

The two-division champion recognizes, of course, that it is much more likely that Haney and Lomachenko will fight each other if they win their upcoming bouts. If Haney beats George Kambosos Jr. again in their immediate rematch October 16 and Lomachenko gets past Jamaine Ortiz on October 29, Lomanchenko will want the opportunity to fight for Haney’s four lightweight titles sometime within the first half of 2023.

Stevenson would favor Haney to beat the Ukrainian southpaw if they indeed fight for full supremacy in the 135-pound division Stevenson recently entered. The unbeaten Stevenson explained his rationale for choosing Haney during an appearance this week on “The DAZN Boxing Show.”

“I got Devin winning,” Stevenson told co-hosts Barak Bess and Akin Reyes. “Devin will out-box him. … Devin faster, taller, longer and I just think [with] the reach advantage, he gonna out-box him.”

The 23-year-old Haney thoroughly out-boxed Kambosos in their first fight, which the Henderson, Nevada resident won unanimously June 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) will defend his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 135-pound championships against Sydney’s Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) on October 16 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

Lomachenko, meanwhile, will fight for the first time in 10½ months when he opposes Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs), of Worcester, Massachusetts, on October 29 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York. The three-division champion’s promoters at Top Rank Inc. wanted him to face Haney earlier this year, but the 34-year-old Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) temporarily removed himself from the lightweight mix to assist with his home country’s efforts in its war with Ukraine.

The 25-year-old Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) has a spot on most pound-for-pound lists, but the former featherweight and junior lightweight champion understands that Haney holds the crowns Lomachenko wants.

“At the end of the day, you know, Lomachenko want them belts and his mind ain’t really focused on me,” said Stevenson, who soundly beat Brazilian contender Robson Conceicao on points September 23 at Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. “So, you can’t blame me for if he don’t end up taking the fight with me right now and go the Devin Haney route. I mean, that’d probably be smarter for him, so I can’t – I just gotta sit back and, you know, be ready for when the time come, that’s all.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.