Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis have both made it clear that they are on a collision course.
Should the two undefeated lightweight champions continue to win, an eventual fight together may just be the biggest in the sport.
It will pit ‘Tank’ Davis’ elite punching power and calculated stalking against the unmatched defence and movement of Stevenson who, by the numbers, gets hit the least by opponents out of all current world champions.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, former light-heavyweight world champion Antonio Tarver backed Davis to get the victory but said fans may see Shakur like never before.
“That’s a tough fight, man. It’s a chess match to say the least. You got power, you got technique. You got a guy that got some of the best feet in the game and you got a guy like Gervonta whose energy is unmatched in the ring. When I look at that fight I don’t see Shakur moving enough to avoid Tank Davis all night. I think Tank’s IQ in the ring will allow him to cut the ring off and get to Shakur.
Unless Shakur is on his bicycle [but] I don’t think he’ll make a fight like that and just run all night, I think he’ll be forced to fight and probably show a Shakur Stevenson that none of us thought he could be in a fight like that.”
Stevenson has been criticised for not looking to entertain fans, particularly for his last two contests, but Tarver said he may be fighting a losing battle when ‘Tank’ is his main rival.
“He’s in the same weight class as one of the most dominant, electrifying fighters in the game, so of course [fans] are drawing comparisons. His fights just don’t have the excitement as a Tank Davis fight, but that don’t mean they can’t make an exciting fight together. We know these are the two top tier fighters in their weight class.”
