Shakur Stevenson doesn’t understand why Oscar Valdez hasn’t put pen to paper so that their 130-pound unification bout can be officially announced.

The Newark-based Stevenson and Mexico’s Valdez are all set to face each other in a unification bout reported to be held April 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but, according to Stevenson, Valdez has been slower to sign his part of the bout agreement.

“It definitely is [happening],” Stevenson said of the proposed bout to ES News, “but Oscar is halfway in, halfway out.”

The 24-year-old southpaw and former featherweight titleholder Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) hopes that either Valdez’s head trainer or his training mate Canelo Alvarez can give Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) a final nudge.

“We’re still waiting for him to say fully ‘yes’ and fully to be ready to fight,” Stevenson said. “But somebody’s got to force him into it. I believe Eddy Reynoso or Canelo gonna try and force him into fighting me. Hopefully they do their job.”

Stevenson has been calling out Valdez since both fighters were campaigning in the featherweight ranks. Stevenson has not been shy about questioning Valdez’s character after Valdez passed on an opportunity to defend his WBO featherweight title against Stevenson, who at that time was the mandatory. Valdez, instead, moved up to 130 pounds. Last year, the 31-year-old Valdez won the division's WBC belt with a 10th-round knockout of Miguel Berchelt in Las Vegas.

For his part, Stevenson is coming off a career-best performance in his last bout, a dominant 10th round technical knockout of Jamel Herring at State Farm Arena in Atlanta to win the WBO 130-pound title.

In the past, Stevenson has criticized his promoter, Top Rank Inc., which also promotes Valdez, for trying to keep their Mexican talent from fighting him.

“At the end of the day all that matters is what [Valdez] put on the paper,” Stevenson said. “If he sign his name on the paper and say he gonna fight, then I’ll believe him, until then— I’ve been trying to get this fight ever since I was at 126 pounds.

“Oscar Valdez, please fight me now. Champion vs. champion. Duck vs Gold. You know. Gold gon’ beat the duck. You already know how it goes.”

Stevenson sent a direct plea to Valdez.

“Oscar, stop ducking me,” he said. “Sign the contract. Let’s fight. The whole world hearing that we’re fighting. Let’s make it happen, April 30th. You can’t run forever.”

An accurate, defensive-first fighter, Stevenson plans to put on a clinical boxing performance against Valdez and his pressure style.

“You can expect another regular Shakur Stevenson night,” Stevenson said. “Go in there and show what I’ve been doing my whole career.”