Super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez feels that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis will beat Shakur Stevenson in a potential lightweight clash if it happens.
Canelo likes the power of WBA 135-lb champion Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) and knows how to pressure his opponents. In the 29-year-old Davis’ recent fights, he’s looked impressive, stopping Frank Martin, Ryan Garcia, Hector Garcia, and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero.
A Defensive Style That Doesn’t Sell
Alvarez likes Shakur’s defensive ability but prefers Tank Davis’s ability over his own. Tank has power and a fighting style more suited to the professional ranks than Stevenson’s amateur approach.
“Shakur is a good fighter; he moves a lot, and it’s very difficult to hit him, but I like Gervonta. He’s a really good fighter, he hits hard and he knows how to go forward. So I’d put my money on Gervonta,” said Canelo Alvarez to Swaye Universe, giving his thoughts on a fight between the unbeaten WBA lightweight champion Tank Davis and WBC champ Shakur Stevenson.
Shakur, 27, has lost credibility with and struggled to beat Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos in his last two fights at lightweight. Fans at ringside loudly booed both fights.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist Stevenson has only been at lightweight for three fights since moving up from super featherweight in April 2023. Those three fights clearly show that Shakur doesn’t belong at 135 and is fighting on borrowed time.
Stevenson was outstanding fighting at 126 and 130, but he’s not looked the same since moving up to lightweight last year. The power of the fighters at 135 seems to bother Shakur, making him fearful of exchanging with them.
Unfortunately, you can’t become a star in boxing if you’re afraid to trade, which is why Shakur has been booed in his last two fights.
He might need to move back down to 130 or 126 to save his career because he’s not going to do well against Tank, Abdullah Mason, Vasily Lomachenko, or Raymond Muratalla.
The Newark, New Jersey native Shakur lacks the power and toughness to fight against the dangerous punchers at lightweight. We saw that in Stevenson’s clash against Edwin De Los Santos last November, where he spent the entire fight retreating around the, looking afraid.
Is Stevenson’s Chin Made of Glass?
Many fans thought he lost that fight, but the judges gave him a win. Afterward, Shakur and his promoters blamed his performance on his injury. However, Shakur looked almost as bad in his last fight against Harutyunyan, and it’s evident he’s not a fan-friendly fighter in this weight division.
The power of fighters at lightweight seems to scare Shakur, and he might be hiding glass in his chin. You don’t run the way Shakur does unless you’re worried about your ability to take heavy shots.
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