Shakur Stevenson, speaking with TMZ Sports, said that a fight down the road between himself and Tank Davis is “the biggest and best fight in the sport of boxing.” Davis as we know retained his unbeaten record on Saturday, in his hyped fight with Ryan Garcia. Stevenson, who holds a spotless record of his own, says he doesn’t think Garcia is, unlike himself and Tank, on ‘Four Kings’ level.
Stevenson wants to fight Tank down the road, in an effort at proving who is the best undefeated lower-weight star in boxing today. Just like when the ‘Four Kings’ – Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran all fought each other back in the 1980s.
“I felt Tank looked sharp, he looked real sharp, he boxed real good,” Stevenson said. “I think Ryan was like pre-school, Ryan wasn’t on that level. When they speak about the ‘Four Kings’, all of the ‘Four Kings’ were special, great fighters and I don’t think Ryan was on that kind of level, I don’t think Ryan was that good. I ain’t taking no credit from Tank, Tank did what he was supposed to do, but Ryan just wasn’t that. I would love that fight. I think that’s the biggest and best fight in the sport of boxing. You’ve got special fighters that come around.”
Stevenson went on to compare a clash between himself and Davis as a showdown between basketball legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James – “But they weren’t in the same era so we never got to see them go against each other,” Stevenson said. “With me and Tank, you’ve got two special fighters that have been special our whole careers and our whole lives.”
There is no doubt, a fight between Davis and Stevenson could be huge, yet it may need additional time to grow; to ‘marinate’, as one promoter might say. That said, Stevenson says he’s ready for the fight right now. However, Stevenson concedes the fact that Tank is the ‘A-side.” Indeed, Stevenson says Tank is now at “Mayweather” level in his career.
“I’m ready right now,” Stevenson said. “But I think it’s depending on what he wants to do. He’s the cash cow, he’s the A-side. He can pick and choose right now. He’s like at the Floyd Mayweather point where he can go, ‘I’ll fight him, I’ll fight him, but I’ll wait to fight him.”
It would be great if today’s lower-weight class fighters could form a modern day ‘Four Kings,’ with Tank, Stevenson and two other guys serving to collectively bring back the magic of those 1980s super-fights. This is what Stevenson wants, so let’s hope Tank is as keen to get it on.
Both Davis and Stevenson have some way to go before they can be compared to any of the ‘Four Kings,’ but it could be that either young star is the best lower-weight fighter in the world right now. And Stevenson wants to find out who is the absolute best. So do we fans.
