If Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KO) gets past challenger Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KO) this Saturday as expected (Stevenson is around a 25-1 favorite), Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 KO) should be on a direct path towards a mega fight with each other.
Given the proper build, Baltimore-bred Gervonta Davis against Newark native Shakur Stevenson could be a huge event. These two young, undefeated southpaws would not just be fighting for lightweight championships; they would arguably be vying to become the face of American boxing once Terence Crawford hangs up his gloves. Tank would be the best fighter Stevenson has faced, and the same is true for Stevenson. Each claims that the other has not beaten anybody.
The matchup between Stevenson and Davis is tantalizing. Stevenson is a defensive wizard who barely gets hit cleanly and is allergic to losing rounds. According to Compubox, Shakur Stevenson has the top plus/minus rating of active boxers at +20.4 (a boxer’s +/- rating: subtracting their opponent’s connection percentage from their overall connection percentage; it’s a measure of the mantra hit and don’t get hit). Davis uses his low center of gravity to offer a tiny target for his opponents while creating angles and openings for himself to land massive power shots. His 93% knockout rate speaks for itself.
Thirty fights. Thirty wins. Twenty-eight knockouts. These are the numbers Gervonta “Tank” Davis has accumulated as a professional. Does he sell tickets? Yes. Produce viral highlights? You bet. Tank Davis has mowed down all challengers and is arguably the most exciting attraction in boxing. The knockout power Davis possesses is truly unbelievable for a man his size. If you squint hard enough, Davis looks like a 5-foot 5-inch, 135-pound Mike Tyson. Unfortunately, that analogy extends to the controversies surrounding Davis outside of the ring.
Following his recent victory over Frank Martin, the two potential opponents for Davis who would move the needle are Vasyl Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson. Davis has learned from his mentor turned adversary, Floyd Mayweather Jr., that matchmaking is a big part of the fight game. Lomachenko is focused, healthy, and looks as dangerous as ever. However, Lomachenko is 36 years old and is small for the lightweight division. Conventional wisdom says that Davis would be more likely to opt to face the older, naturally smaller Lomachenko. The question for boxing fans is: would Gervonta Davis take a risk like taking on a young lion like the 26-year-old Shakur Stevenson? Davis said his recent jail stint helped him mature personally; boxing fans hope this maturation also applies to Tank’s opponent selection.
Davis-Stevenson would be a huge fight that could take place in Las Vegas based on the skill level and importance of the contest. But with the two men born about 180 miles away from each other in Maryland and New Jersey, why not have this fight in a major East Coast city like Philadelphia or New York City? Atlantic City is pretty close to a neutral location. While Tank is the bigger draw right now, Stevenson fighting a relatively unknown opponent at the Prudential Center in Newark this Saturday could build his credibility as a fighter who can sell tickets.
In the Internet and streaming age, with boxing and MMA cards taking place across the globe from Abu Dhabi to Tokyo, to London and Las Vegas, to a global audience, the location of a fight card is less relevant than ever. A big fight like Stevenson-Davis should be made with an eye toward the health of boxing presently and in the future. Diehard fans of both men need to be able to come out in droves. A big fight like Davis vs. Stevenson deserves a big fight feel that can be conveyed from the broadcast into sports bars and living rooms. Having an arena split between Tank fans and Shakur fans 50-50 or close to it would help to achieve that atmosphere. Not everyone can get to Las Vegas for a big fight. The fight freaks will get to a big fight wherever it is. We need to build a fan base for the future of boxing.
Davis recently said that if he fought Shakur Stevenson, Stevenson would use a defensive, unentertaining strategy. Stevenson replied, “Gervonta Davis is a good fighter, but he’s a casual; he’s gonna say what casuals say.” Setting aside how funny it is for one boxer to call another a casual, maybe a big performance on a holiday weekend for Stevenson shown on ESPN in the United States will give him the juice to demand a fight with Tank Davis. Stevenson will be able to make the fight if he truly wants it.
Stevenson’s promotional contract with Bob Arum and Top Rank will expire following his fight with Harutyunyan. If Stevenson wants to be a superstar in boxing, as he has said multiple times, he needs to use his contractual freedom as an asset. Stevenson could sign promotional deals on a fight-to-fight basis, which would help him avoid the entanglements that being with one promotional company comes with. All of the politics between promoters does not help boxing. Everyone knows it is a detriment to the sport. The fighters themselves are the commodity in this model, not the promoters.
In theory, Stevenson could fight Davis, advised by Al Haymon, and then make a fight against Vasyl Lomachenko, who is with Top Rank. That is easier said than done in boxing’s current landscape, but Stevenson has the talent and ambition to break the mold. In the team sports world, free agency for players seemed crazy until it became a reality, as did salary caps for teams.
If Artem Harutyunyan shocks Shakur Stevenson on Saturday, this article will not age well. But Shakur Stevenson is as close to a sure thing as boxing has seen in recent years. He has the pedigree and the talent to become the future face of boxing in the United States. The other man with the best claim to that crown would be Gervonta Davis. Let’s have them settle it in the ring.
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