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.

Keyshawn Davis is climbing the ranks of the boxing world rapidly and just needs one statement: victory to establish himself as the top star in the lightweight division. A few weeks ago, Davis set his sights on the WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and issued an informal challenge against the latter.

In his own words, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist called Tank a “target practice,” and stated that “I feel like I’ll beat Tank.” Well, two weeks have passed since the Norfolk native put Tank on notice and there has been no reply from the latter’s side. Keyshawn Davis was not fond of the disrespect and issued another challenge to the 30-0 boxer and put him on notice once again.

In an interview with Sean Zittel, the Businessman answered the reason behind his confidence and why he thinks that Gervonta Davis would be useless against him. The 25-year-old was vocal about his adaptability and how he tried different things against other opponents. “Because I do everything. I do different sh*t with different opponents,” stated Davis in a snarky tone. Even last time, Keyshawn Davis called the WBA lightweight champion one-dimensional in his approach.

Davis once again highlighted his height advantage against Tank and stated, “He’s a 5’5 midget. I got IQ, I’ve been all around the world. I’ve seen it all. ” Just like last time, he mentioned his superior defensive ability and the reach advantage he has over Gervonta Davis. He further recalled the times that both of them had sparred with each other.

“I’ve seen him. I’ve been in the ring with him (sparring) a couple of times,” revealed the Norfolk native, implying the fact that he has studied Tank completely and knows how to tackle him.

Even though Keyshawn Davis is oozing confidence, many in the boxing community feel that the 25-year-old still has to prove himself to challenge for the title. On the other hand, Gervonta Davis is completely focused on his December bout against Lamont Roach Jr. 

Gervonta Davis’ December showdown

Gervonta Davis is set to defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr. on December 14, 2024. The fight will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. With an undefeated record of 30-0 (28 KOs), Davis remains one of boxing’s biggest stars. Lamont Roach Jr., currently the WBA junior lightweight champion, is moving up in weight to challenge Davis.

Just a week after the WBA sanctioned the lightweight title bout between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr., the duo have already gotten themselves into a heated discussion online. The fight is scheduled to take place on December 14 and Roach has received “special permission” by WBA to move up to the lightweight division and challenge for the title. This fight once again proves the stardom of Tank as he was once again allowed to handpick a challenger.

Fans were not happy with the announcement as Roach is quite unproven against top stars like Tank. Furthermore, he will have a disadvantage coming from a lighter-weight division. Despite being the WBA super featherweight champion, fans are not excited about the fight. But the boxer duo decided to hype up the clash when both of them got into a war of words on ‘X’ as Roach tried to troll the WBA lightweight champion just to receive a stellar response.

Gervonta Davis’ stern advice to Roach

The argument started when heavyweight boxer Marcellus Williams asked Davis about the camp fees to spar with the champion. Williams wanted to work on his skills and had every motivation to make the situation work. However, Lamont Roach Jr. quickly responded to the tweet and stated, “He gon need to spar you bra no funny 🫠.” Davis immediately asked the meaning behind the post and Roach quoted a fan reaction who explained the tweet.

Roach quoted a fan reply who wrote, “Translation: u needa spar someone heavy cause he comin wit it,” explaining the meaning behind Roach’s tweet. According to the Reaper, the 30-0 boxer needs to spar against heavier boxers before their fight in December. And even though Davis is thinking of an easy fight, Roach will take this opportunity to make a name for himself and increase his stocks.

Tank did not let the disrespect go idly as he responded and wrote, “I advise you not to talk so much..it can be bad for you. You kno that already tho YO 😏,” stating that Roach should do the talking inside the ring and not online. He further warned Roach about the consequences of making the WBA lightweight champion angry.

We want the steak, but it looks like we may have to settle for the fish.

It’s not the main course we were hoping for, but it shouldn’t leave a bad taste in our mouths. Not given the circumstances, at least. And it’s certainly better than going hungry.

That’s the situation with Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ next fight, which could wind up putting the WBA lightweight titleholder against WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jr. Nothing is official yet, but boxing reporter Dan Rafael recently said it is possible for a December 21 pay-per-view, while Mike Coppinger of ESPN said Roach is the frontrunner for landing the fight.

It’s fair to be disappointed in that news.

It’s fair to want better opponents for Davis.

It’s unfair to blame Davis — at least not this time.

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) has become one of the biggest stars in boxing by virtue of his obvious talent and captivating performances where his skills and ring savvy and fight-changing power are on display. A video of Davis’ eighth-round win over Frank Martin on June 15, posted by Premier Boxing Champions on July 15, has racked up 5.8 million views on YouTube.

Martin was undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the lightweight division going into that bout. There have been other respectable foes taken on and taken out by Davis in the past few years, some of which look even better in hindsight, such as Tank’s 11th-round technical knockout of Mario Barrios in June 2021 and a unanimous decision over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in December 2021.

Yet boxing fans have wanted to see Davis go beyond the second tier and test his talent against the other top names at 135. There have been many reasons those fights haven’t happened over the years.

This time, they just weren’t available.

The other world titles belong to Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denis Berinchyk (WBO). Negotiations between Davis and Lomachenko came to an end when Lomachenko’s team said he didn’t want to get back in the ring for the remainder of the year, that he didn’t feel motivated to fight and preferred to spend time with his family.

That news was disappointing though not completely surprising, given Lomachenko’s lengthy career dating back to his extended time in the amateurs, given what we’d heard from him and also what little we’d seen of him.

In a post-fight interview, Lomachenko dedicated the victory to his father, who played such a significant role in his career.

“This is title for him, because after Haney I want to finish my boxing career,” Lomachenko said. “After this fight with Haney, I proved to myself in this sport and I don’t need to continue. But my father, every day he sends me news with me, and every time he send my last fights, highlights, and I feel he want to continue, he want the title again. And he tell me, ‘Hey, we need to do one more time this one. We need to do fight again for title.’ And it was hard decision for me because I’m tired. But I love my family. I love my father. I respect my father. My father built me in boxing, in life. And this is title. This is win for my father.”

Stevenson, a free agent after departing from Top Rank, ultimately signed with Matchroom and announced a fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina on the October 12 undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitriy Bivol. Stevenson then got hurt in training and had to pull out of the Cordina fight. He’s expected back in 2025.

Berinchyk doesn’t carry the name value or appear to have the attributes that Lomachenko and Stevenson do.

Some thought Cruz would get a rematch with Davis. Cruz was competitive with Davis in their first bout and is one of only two men to last the distance with Tank. (It should be noted here that Davis was fighting through a hand injury.)

That belief disappeared the moment Cruz lost to Valenzuela in August. Would Valenzuela not only seize Cruz’s title, but also inherit the opportunity?

“I have a rematch clause [with Cruz] right now, so waiting on that, but if not there’s Teofimo [Lopez] and the other [140-pound] champions,” Valenzuela recently told FaceOfBoxingTV. As for rumors that he’d turned down a fight with Davis? “It wasn’t really an offer. It was more like I was just asked about Tank. I said, not at ’35, and we never really dove into it. There was no details or nothing. I don’t know if you consider that an offer, but that’s what happened.”

Valenzuela had fought in the 135-pound weight class for most of his career, and he was a lightweight as recently as last December. But he cannot be faulted if he feels junior welterweight is better for his body. Nor can Davis be faulted if he wishes to remain a lightweight right now, even though he went up to 140 before for the Barrios bout.

Edwin De Los Santos is unranked by those observers, but he’s rated by the WBA and would therefore be allowed to challenge for the belt. De Los Santos scored a knockout over Valenzuela in 2022 — though he’d also hit a downed Valenzuela one round earlier. His last fight, however, was a decision loss to Stevenson in November 2023.

With not much available at 135, that leaves room for Roach to enter from just down the road at 130. And from down the road in Washington, D.C.

That’s one more reason to make this fight.

If Tank can’t get a match made with any of the top lightweights, and if he doesn’t want to remain inactive for the remainder of 2024, then a bout with Roach is an acceptable substitute. Or it’s at least as good as we’re going to be able to get, even if it isn’t going to satisfy us the same way that the steak dinner would have.

Roach’s improvement has been enjoyable to watch. It’s still hard to picture him giving Tank too much trouble. But the fight can be made and hosted in Davis’ native Baltimore or, more likely, in D.C. itself. While that’s Roach’s hometown, it’s also where Davis headlined for the Hector Garcia fight. The fight will do well at the box office.

Pay-per-view is another question. Davis is one of the biggest stars in the United States. Some may purchase the broadcast just to see him perform; the opponent factors less, if not at all, into their consideration. For others, the prospect of Davis vs. Roach may be intriguing enough to tune in but not enough to shell out.

Boxing fans can and should speak with their wallets. Just because a fight is on doesn’t mean you have to buy it. If you really don’t want the fish, you can choose not to eat in the restaurant until the steak is available again.

As for Davis, just because a big fight isn’t available doesn’t mean he should wait on the sidelines. I’d rather Tank get back on the battlefield, even if it’s just to blow through and roll over an outgunned foe. That’s better than sitting around and collecting rust.