Former four-division titleholder Mikey Garcia believes a clash between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko would offer the boxing world a much more exciting encounter than a Davis-Shakur Stevenson fight.
Davis, 30, who is currently scheduled to take on 29-year-old Lamont Roach, in a lightweight title fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on March 1, should next prioritize facing Lomachenko in a unification, Garcia told Fight Hub TV.
“I do believe Shakur Stevenson is a great fighter,” Garcia said in the interview. “He’s got the skills, he’s got the talent, and he’s a great boxer. He’s super-talented, with footwork, speed, reflexes and counter-punching ability.
“But I’m not a fan of his fight because Shakur Stevenson is the kind of fighter that is going to box regardless of what critics or fans want to see. I’d much rather see Tank fight other guys – for example, Lomachenko, because I know he’s there to fight. Even though he also has great footwork and speed and everything, he’s there to fight.”
It is unclear if a fight between Baltimore’s Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), and Ukraine’s Lomachenko, 36, is still in the cards – especially after their proposed encounter last November fell through. Lomachenko, a three-division champion who currently holds a lightweight belt, has yet to make a defense of his title eight months after taking it from George Kambosos Jnr in an 11th-round stoppage victory.
Lomachenko, 18-3 (12 KOs), failed to meet an initial 60-day medical extension, which expired on January 11, forcing the IBF to order contenders Raymond Muratalla (ranked No. 2) and Zaur Abdullaev (ranked No. 4) to fight for an interim championship.
But Stevenson, 22-0 (12 KOs), who is preparing for his upcoming lightweight title defense against Floyd Schofield on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comes with his own caveats. Criticized for his too-passive fighting style in wins over Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan (among other fights), Stevenson will have to change his approach to earn a matchup with Davis, says Garcia.
“A fight with Shakur Stevenson is going to be not as exciting of a matchup for Tank,” Garcia said. “I think that’s why he’s going to have a tough time getting some of these big fights. But until then, I don’t think Tank should fight him or anybody that’s not a serious threat.”
Davis, of course, must first get past Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs), of Washington D.C., before thinking of facing Lomachenko, Stevenson or any other opponent. Given Davis’ vast experience, skill and power, Garcia is confident he’ll be too much to handle for Roach – who is moving up to challenge Davis at 135.
“He probably will win this fight as well,” Garcia said. “He’s proven himself.”
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].
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