Shakur Stevenson has made it clear that he will pursue a lightweight unification bout against Gervonta Davis in 2025.

The undefeated defensive master is currently sidelined recovering from a hand injury but has informed fans that he aims to return in February against number one contender William Zepeda before finally making the match-up with knockout artist ‘Tank.’

Stevenson will likely be doing this under the promotional banner of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing having left Bob Arum’s Top Rank after years of partnership.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Arum wished his former charge the best and said that he would continue to be a fan.

“Shakur is a great fighter really a tremendous talent and I like him very much. We made a big offer to him which he turned down for whatever reason and I really wish him the best of luck, whether that’s with Eddie Hearn or with another promoter that doesn’t matter to me. Shakur is a tremendous tremendous talent and I want to see many more of his fights.”

He went on to say that Stevenson, currently the WBC Champion at 135, beats everybody in the division, including Davis, and may only struggle with Vasiliy Lomachenko should the Ukrainian return to the ring.

“I think Shakur beats everybody at 135 that’s been mentioned. Maybe if Lomachenko keeps fighting, Loma could make a tremendous matchup with him, but other than that I don’t see anybody with the skills to face and beat Shakur.”

Previously, the 93-year-old promoter has told Boxing Scene that he thinks Stevenson, Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez – currently super-lightweight champion – have the beating of ‘Tank’, saying, “all three would beat Davis, I really believe that.”

Ryan Garcia is adamant that he wants to run it back with Gervonta Davis following their fight in 2023.

The cross-promotional affair was a box office and ticket smash, with fans praising both men for putting their undefeated records on the line at a crucial moment in their careers.

It was ‘Tank’ Davis who came out on top clearly, dropping Garcia in the second round before ending the contest for good with a body shot in the seventh.

Garcia has been vocal in the aftermath about the 136lbs catchweight and 10lbs rehydration clause seriously affecting his performance.

Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes the 26-year-old, said he advised against taking the fight with those stipulations. However, speaking on Club Shay Shay, De La Hoya was refreshingly honest in his verdict on a rematch with no such weight clauses. Instead of blindly backing his fighter, he admitted Davis may just be too good.

Does [Ryan] beat Tank if he doesn’t have the rehydration clause? I don’t know. I just do not know. Tank is very skilful, he’s a beast, he knows how to figure you out, but one thing about Tank, which I love and this is why he’s gonna be great, he fights. And when you fight, you’re gonna get hit, and you might get knocked out.

That’s the beauty of Tank – he fights and that’s why they love him. That’s a perfect example. Tank Davis is a star.”

‘Tank’ went on the be elevated to WBA Lightweight World Champion and has since made one defence of his belt – a knockout of Frank Martin. He will put it on the line a second time against Lamont Roach Jr this December.

Garcia moved up to super-lightweight and defeated WBC Champion Devin Haney, although because he came in overweight he was ineligible to win the belt. Things went from bad to worse when it was revealed he had twice tested positive for a banned substance. The result was overturned to a no contest and Garcia has been banned for a year.

The Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. fight is slowly but surely picking up heat. After an underwhelming reaction during the announcement, fans and experts are warming up to the upcoming WBA lightweight title fight slated for December 14 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Both these fighters have also engaged in several online spats that have only helped hype their upcoming match.

This fight is shaping up to be a technical bout with a sensational undercard. Both of them are strong and though Tank is an astoundingly heavy favorite, experts and boxers are still not counting out Lamont Roach completely. Ahead of the fight, FightHype sat down with Richardson Hitchins and Kenneth Sims Jr. to know their views regarding the fight and their answers might surprise you.

FightHype asked the undefeated super lightweight Hitchins about the history between him and the two fighters and what everyone can expect from their fight. The New York resident talked about the similarities between Tank and Roach and advised the fans to not take the latter lightly. Hitchins was sure that the 25-1 boxer would stun everyone and it would be a brilliant fight.

“Lamont came up in the same type of environment as Tank. They both got a lot of similarities. I think a lot of people are writing Lamont off because of loss against Jamel Herring, but he has shown consistency over the years,” stated Hitchins while talking about how Roach has turned his career around since the loss against Herring in 2019.

The 18-0 boxer then promised the fight to be a technical feat and stated that even he was looking forward to the fight. While talking about who will have the upper hand in a technical fight, Richardson Hitchins stated, “It is going to be a great technical fight. Tank is a defensive genius. He knows how to protect himself and knows ways to maneuver.”

He further stated that if the fight gets dragged to later rounds, Tank will have a clear advantage because of his near-perfect defense. According to Hitchins, Roach should try to finish the fight early because if it comes to the later rounds, there is a high chance that Davis will drag the fight to his pace to get the desired result. While defending Roach as a capable opponent for Gervonta Davis, Hitchins added, “It’s not just like Tank is just picking out a bum. Lamont probably knows how to fight more than a lot of guys Tank fought.” 

On the other hand, the welterweight sensation Kenneth Sims Jr. who has fought against both Roach and Davis, also shared his views about the fight and stated what these fighters must do to win the match.

Floyd Mayweather dragged into the discussion

Fans were buzzing about the possibility of a 2024 showdown between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko, two of the biggest stars in boxing’s lightweight division.

A December title unification fight seemed within reach, promising to be one of the year’s most anticipated events. However, negotiations fell apart when Lomachenko decided to take the remainder of the year off.

This collapse is part of a larger pattern where potential blockbuster fights, such as those with Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda, George Kambosos Jr., and Devin Haney, never progressed beyond initial social media hype.

Speculation has been swirling around Davis, with some critics accusing him of avoiding top-tier opponents over the years. Others argue that the promoters might be to blame for these fights falling through. Adding to the controversy, Davis’ next fight was recently announced, and fans aren’t pleased.

On December 14, Davis will face WBA Super Featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr., who is moving up to the lightweight division to challenge him at Houston’s Toyota Center. The announcement sparked backlash, with fans calling it another underwhelming match-up.

Leonard Ellerbe defended Davis

In the midst of the criticism, former Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe stepped in to defend Davis. The online debate started after a fan shared a video featuring Lomachenko and his promoter, Bob Arum, discussing Davis. The fan questioned how Floyd Mayweather, with similar management, secured high-profile fights while Davis struggled.

Ellerbe responded by explaining that the process of setting up major fights is much more complex than fans realize. He argued that social media often skews public perception, leading people to believe that Davis is avoiding serious competition.

According to Ellerbe, scheduling conflicts and other factors often prevent fights from happening. He even claimed that some fighters call out Davis publicly despite being unavailable or unable to fight.