Trainer Andre Rozier questions whether Shakur Stevenson can come back from his recent right-hand injury to be the fighter he was before, and he doesn’t know if he’s going to be able to deal with a guy like Gervonta Davis.
To have any chance against WBA lightweight champion Tank, fighters must be 100%, punching with power, and not falling to the floor in pain after landing a punch. Shakur has nothing to fight Tank off.
He can’t win a decision, throwing only jabs, weak right hands, and running around the ring. The judges gave Shakur a gift in his fight with Edwin De Los Santos, but he can’t expect similar special treatment against talents like Tank.
That could happen to Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) because he’s been having hand problems since he moved up to 135 last year. That’s why he struggled against Edwin De Los Santos last year in November, and the same problem caused the cancellation of his October 12th defense against Joe Cordina.
Once fighters start suffering hand problems, it becomes a career-long thing. They can’t have a bionic hand surgically attached. Shakur has never had any power, even when healthy, but with his hand problems, he’s going to be at the mercy of Tank and the other killers at 135, just waiting to ruin him.
“I’m 100% Gervonta Davis, and I think he’s the most difficult task for anybody at 135,” said trainer Andre Rozier to Pro Boxing Fans. “He has the innate combination of power, accuracy, and precision, and he’s very economical with his attacks.
“When he gets going and gets you in trouble, it’s a wrap. I’m always Team Gervonta Davis, and I think he will reign for a very long time. We don’t know what we’re going to get out of Shakur. He’s coming back from a hand injury. So, we don’t know.
“He’s a talented fighter. He knows how to control range and distance. We need to know if he still has the ability to do that with his hands. We have to see how that injury has healed, and then I can tell you more about him,” said Rozier.
Shakur might be fine if he’s matched selectively the way his new promoter, Eddie Hearn, had in mind for him by putting him in with Joe Cordina, a fighter who had been knocked out in his previous fight and was looking washed. If Shakur fights Tank, De Los Santos, Andy Cruz, or Raymond Muratalla, it could be over for him.
Shakur doesn’t mention those guys. He wants to fight William Zepeda, and Floyd Schofield and George Kambosos Jr. because he’s already sized them up. He feels confident he can beat them, and he probably can, but it won’t be easy if he’s functioning on 50% capacity as a one-handed fighter.
Fighting Muratalla, Tank, De Los Santos, or Cruz would be the end for him. Hearn couldn’t get rid of Shakur quickly once he lost to one or two of those guys. He ain’t going to put him on the same expensive four-fight rebuild job as he did with Anthony Joshua. It costs too much, and those problems will still be there for Shakur once he emerges from the four tomato can feeding.
“That’s one of the keys,” said Rozier when told that Shakur would need to keep Tank Davis off of him for 12 rounds. “Now, you’re talking about two of the best lightweights. There are pros and cons, but I think when they get together, it’s going to be a fantastic fight.”
Shakur couldn’t keep Tank Davis off him if he were in the picture of health, as he did when he turned pro in 2017 after his crying episode at the Olympics. Tank is too powerful and would walk through his shots just like Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez did in the finals of the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s almost reminiscent of the Sugar Ray Leonard, Duran, Tommy Hearns days. These guys are so talented that you don’t know which direction you want to go in there. But I think when they do get in there, I think everybody is going to really enjoy what happens,” said Rozier.
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