Former foe wants Gervonta Davis to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson

British fighter Liam Walsh has called on Gervonta “Tank” Davis to consider fighting Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson before bowing out of the sport.

Ahead of his WBA lightweight championship fight with Lamont Roach on March 1, Baltimore’s Davis announced his intentions to retire from the sport after 2025 during a press conference in New York on Tuesday.

Walsh, who lost to Davis in three rounds in 2017, said that he wants to see his former ring mate take on the best 135 pounders before retiring next year.

“Tank came out the other day and said he’s gonna retire after 2025,” Walsh told Pro Boxing Fans. “Will that happen? We don’t know but I’d like to see Tank fight Lomachenko. Teofimo is probably too big now but I want some of the big fights.

“I know he’s beaten Ryan Garcia, which was huge business which made him look a lot better, but I always fancied Tank in that fight anyway. But that wasn’t a Tank-Loma or a Tank-Shakur.”

Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), was close to fighting IBF 135-pound titlist Lomachenko, 18-3 (12 KOs), in November but the fight fell through after the Ukrainian decided to spend time with his family instead.

Walsh, however, believes it’s not too late to make the fight happen next year.

“I’m more interested in Tank-Lomachenko. I’m being honest,” he said. I got excited when I heard that one. And for whatever reasons, from what I’m reading, which we don’t know, it wasn’t Tank’s fault, but the fight didn’t go ahead. I hope it does happen.

“I still think the fight can happen but I don’t know what he’s got left. I obviously don’t know what his ambition is now. It seems like he’s going the other way because at one point, he was possessed with being an undisputed champion.

“I don’t think he necessarily holds that mindset anymore, but I might be wrong. I don’t know him personally. I’ve been a massive fan of Lomachenko when I watched him myself in Vegas years ago.”

On fighting Stevenson, Walsh said he anticipates a top-class encounter between Davis and one of the sport’s best opponents.

“I think Shakur could beat anybody. I think Shakur is good. I like him a lot. I think he’s brilliant.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].