Gervonta Davis versus Shakur Stevenson is one of the most high-level and high-profile bouts to be made in boxing.
The two lightweight world champions bring with them an intriguing clash of styles and attributes – ‘Tank’ Davis the calculated and stalking power puncher, Shakur the elite mover and defensive-minded boxer.
Fans have been watching the match-up marinate for some time now and are set to continue to do so, but if undefeated records and world titles are kept, it could turn into the biggest bout in the sport.
Davis’ ferocity has been compared to Mike Tyson’s in the past, and though the former undisputed heavyweight champion keeps a close eye on his career and considers him one of the pound-for-pound best, he hadn’t yet picked a winner against Stevenson.
Speaking on the It is what it is podcast, former undisputed heavyweight champion ‘Iron’ Mike has now backed the bigger puncher to win.
“Wow, that’s a good fight. I like to go with Tank. Everyone’s gonna go with Tank, but it would be a very interesting fight.”
Tyson reserves high praise for the specialist Shakur, too, but believes ‘Tank’ is a ‘monster.’
“Listen, you don’t have to hurt him, you just have to out-score. Shakur takes a good shot, he’s a specialist. That’s why there are some fights that he doesn’t look good in, because he’s so superior. It’s boring watching sometimes, but he knows what he’s doing. He’s hard to beat. To bring out the best in Shakur you gotta pressure him like Tank and we’ll see a great fight. Tank is just a monster right now.”
Stevenson has said that he wants to make the fight in 2025 after a ring return against William Zepeda in February. He is currently recovering from hand surgery after suffering an injury in sparring.
In the meantime, Davis is slated to return this December against Lamont Roach.
