Mikey Garcia says he’s not a fan of Shakur Stevenson’s style of fighting, and he wouldn’t be interested in seeing him fight Gervonta Davis because he feels it would be a dull fight.
He notes that Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) doesn’t care if the fans criticize him. He’s going to fight his fight, and win. That’s the most important thing.
Shakur is desperate to fight Tank Davis, and has talked about him in almost every interview to promote his February 22nd title defense against Floyd Schofield in Riyadh. He’s arguably talked more about Tank than he has Schofield.
“Not a Fan”
“I’m not a big fan of that fight. I do believe Shakur Stevenson is a great, great fighter as well, as skills go,” said Mikey Garcia to Fight Hub TV about not having interest in seeing Gervonta Davis fight Shakur Stevenson. “He’s got the talent, he’s got the skills.
“He’s a great boxer, and super talented with speed and reflexes and counter-punching ability. He’s one of the very best, but I’m not a fan of that fight [Tank vs. Stevenson]. Shakur Stevenson is going to fight his fight regardless of what the critics and fans want to see.
“He’s going to fight his fight. That’s fine. It’s his style. He’s a boxer, counter-puncher, and winning is winning for him. As a fight fan, that turns me off. As a fighter, I applaud him and understand. I give him all the respect for his skills,” said Mikey.
Stevenson doesn’t have the power or the chin to fight in an aggressive style, because he’d get knocked out. When he has stood in the pocket in his fights, he gets hit, and he doesn’t enjoy it. That’s why he goes out of his way to make his opponents miss.
“His talent is great, but as a fight fan, that turns me off. I’d rather see Tank fight other guys,” said Mikey. “For example, Lomachenko. I know Lomachenko is coming to fight, even though he has great footwork and reflexes. He’s there to fight. I’d much rather see that fight than a Shakur Stevenson fight.”
Can Money Buy Excitement?
Tank vs. Lomachenko would be a lot of fun to watch, and it can happen if Turki Al-Sheikh offers Loma enough money to agree to it. He seems to have lost interest in continuing to stay active.
“Shakur Stevenson is going to be a dull, not as exciting as a matchup. I think that’s why he’s going to have a tough time getting these exciting fights. Until he transforms his style a bit and shows up a little bit more, then he’ll get some people excited,” said Garcia.
The only stars in the lightweight division that Shakur is interested in fighting are Tank Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. None of the other fighters have enough of a fan base for Shakur to be worried about them not fighting him.
“Until then, I don’t think Tank fights him or anybody who is a serious threat. Again, Shakur is a great fighter as far as skills, but not a great fighter for the fans,” said Mikey.
It’ll come down to whether Turki Al-Sheikh wants to see Tank vs. Shakur. If he wants that fight, he’ll make it happen by offering the Baltimore native Davis enough money to be willing to put up with having to chase Shakur around the ring. The fans might not like it due to Stevenson’s boring style, but it’ll still happen.
