Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is now #1 in Ring Magazine’s lightweight ranking following his eighth-round knockout victory over Frank Martin last Saturday night.
Lomachenko Secures #2 Ranking with Knockout Win
Vasily Lomachenko is rated #2 following his knockout victory over George Kambosos Jr. last May in a masterclass performance. Lomachenko, 36, looked as good in that fight as he had when he first turned pro in 2013.
Lomachenko has lost nothing from his game, making a monkey out of the former unified lightweight champion Kambosos while stopping him in the eleventh round.
Zepeda Surprises at Number Three, Overtaking Stevenson
The new Ring rankings have a surprise, with highly rated contender William Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) placed ahead of WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
Zepeda looks invincible right now. He’s the ultimate pressure fighter with power in both hands and is excellent at cutting off the ring against runners.
1. Gervonta Davis
2. Vasyl Lomachenko
3. William Zepeda
4. Shakur Stevenson
5. Denys Berinchyk
6. Raymond Muratalla
7. Frank Martin
8. Keyshawn Davis
9. Mark Chamberlain
10. Zaur Abdullaev
Some fans feel that a contender shouldn’t be rated above a world champion, but Ring Magazine’s rationale for ranking Zepeda ahead of Shakur is quite understandable.
Shakur’s performance in his last fight against Edwin De Los Santos and in some of his other bouts showed that he avoids exchanges entirely.
Shakur Needs to Adapt to Pro Game
Stevenson, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, doesn’t let his hands go and tries to do the minimum to win rounds, almost like he’s still fighting in the amateurs.
Shakur is one of those fighters who hasn’t adapted to the pro game and fights like he’s under the amateur scoring system. That style doesn’t work in the professional ranks and is boring.
I watched Stevenson-De Los Santos live from ringside last November, and I had De Los Santos winning that fight based on aggression and harder landing shots. Many other fans agreed.
If Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) doesn’t want to slip further down Ring Magazine’s list, he will need to change his fighting style to use a pro-style because his amateur safety first style isn’t cutting it. That’s why he lost in the Olympics against Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez.
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