Shakur Stevenson says Gervonta Davis wasn’t mentally messed up for his recent underperformance against Lamont Roach on March 1st at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Stevenson states that Tank (30-0-1, 28 KOs) was the “same fighter,” which is hard to take seriously because he looked like he was 100% distracted. Throughout the fight, Davis was looking around at the crowd, seemingly more focused on them than his opponent.
The way that Tank took a knee in the ninth round and then called his own timeout it makes one question whether he was mentally engaged in the fight. He looked like a person with ADD, with his mind in the poppies.
The ‘Goldmine
Some fans would argue that Shakur hates Tank Davis because he’s ignored his constant pursuit of a fight against him. Davis likely sees Stevenson as just another example of a fighter who is just looking for a payday because he can’t become a star on his own due to his boring fighting style.
Shakur’s fighting style doesn’t fit the modern era, which is why he’s now fighting on undercards, being booed, and being carefully matched against weak opposition to protect him. For Stevenson, Tank symbolises life-changing money, and he’s like a walking goldmine.
The fact that Stevenson has shown no willingness to take risky fights since moving up to the lightweight division in 2023 reinforces that he’s playing it safe, fighting cannon fodder long enough to get that payday. After that, if he loses to the killers in the lightweight division, he’ll be wealthy and set for life.
“I like Lamont in the rematch,” said Shakur Stevenson to the media when asked who wins the rematch between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach. “I sparred with Lamont. I knew he was a good fighter, and he helped me get ready for the Oscar Valdez fight. I knew from his style and Tank’s style what he was going to be able to bring to the table,” said Stevenson when asked why he had predicted that Roach would beat Tank in their first fight. I knew it.
“I can’t tell you game plans because I could be fighting these guys,” said Shakur when asked what adjustments Roach will make for his rematch with Gervonta. “So, I’m going to keep my secrets to myself, but truthfully, they’re both good fighters.”
Shakur shouldn’t be so sure that he’s going to be getting the chance to fight Tank and Roach. While he can probably can a shot at Roach, it’s not a given that Davis will face him because his fighting style is the worst eyesore. Moreover, Stevenson isn’t increasing his marketability by fighting quality opposition. When he could have picked good opponents in his last two fights, he opted for Josh Padley and Artem Harutyunyan.
Shakuk had a fight fall through last October against British fighter Joe Cordina, who is the same low-quality fighter as Padley and Harutyunyan. If he wanted to increase his chances for a fight against Gervonta, he needed to fight guys like Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason, Raymond Muratalla, Frank Martinz, and Jadier Herrera. It’s pretty obvious to fans that Stevenson’s promoters are trying to keep him from getting beaten so he doesn’t miss out on the Tank Davis fight.
“No, he was the same Tank. I don’t believe that. I don’t got no thought in my brain that makes me think he wasn’t the same person that he was in all of these other fights. I think he was the same person,” said Shakur on whether Tank Davis wasn’t mentally there for his fight against Roach.
“All this stuff he’s going through stuff, everybody goes through stuff. He’s the same fighter. So, he’s going to be the same fighter he’s been throughout his career,” said Shakur about Tank.
