“I’m not into faking beef with people I’ve been cool with for years, all for social media. I got integrity,” Shakur said on X.

The WBO light welterweight champion, Shakur, also indicated that he expects a fight with Roach to happen sooner rather than later.

“I’m cool with @OneOf1x, but I plan on whooping his ass when we fight. We gone rock out soon. Champ time cutting short,” said Shakur.

The post drew attention from fans because Stevenson has previously faced questions about fighting opponents he has known personally. Some social media users responded by referencing past discussions involving other fighters, arguing that personal relationships have occasionally been mentioned when potential matchups were debated.

Sthakur made it clear that friendship would not prevent him from facing Roach if the opportunity arises. The two fighters have been publicly friendly for years, with both previously acknowledging that a fight between them would be business rather than personal.

The comments immediately caught the attention of fans because Roach has not yet fought William Zepeda.

Roach is scheduled to face Zepeda on August 1 for the vacant WBA lightweight title in what many view as the toughest fight of his career.

Roach has not recorded a victory since June 2024, when he defeated Feargal McCrory. Since then, he has fought to a 12-round draw with Gervonta Davis and followed that with another 12-round draw against Isaac Cruz last December.