With his mandatory defense out of the way, Shakur Stevenson is renewing his call for a unification bout with fellow lightweight titleholder Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Stevenson appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, less than 48 hours after defending his WBC belt with a unanimous decision over William Zepeda.
“This is the biggest fight in the world,” Stevenson said. “This is the biggest fight in the sport of boxing. Everybody wants to see this.”
Stevenson and Davis, the WBA titleholder, are no longer friendly with each other, which Stevenson ascribes to them being competitors for the crown at 135lbs.
“Deep down inside he knows that I’m the truth,” Stevenson said. “He knows that I'm the biggest threat around where he’s at.”
But Stevenson feels they can overcome any animosity for the sake of business, not letting the personal get in the way of the professional.
“One of us got to find a way to reach out and try to get the fight to happen,” he said. “It can’t be no little kid shit. It can’t be no back and forth. We got to be grown men and get the fight done. I would love to talk to him and have a real conversation and make this fight happen. But you know some guys be kinda egotistical. I don’t know where his ego is at.”
Stevenson doesn’t believe that Davis will truly follow through on his vow to step away from the sport to focus on his mental health – “Too much money to be made in boxing,” Stevenson said.
The fight, he said, would need to take place in or near New York City given that Stevenson is from Newark, New Jersey and Davis from Baltimore, Maryland: “Whatever is the biggest stadium.”
At the same time, Davis’ next outing is up in the air; a rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr was expected to take place on August 16 but now is unlikely for that date after Davis’ most recent arrest.
Stevenson also embraced the idea of facing Roach.
“I’m cool with Lamont Roach. I feel like me and him make so much sense skillfully,” Stevenson said. “I think he’s one of the skillful fighters at 135lbs along with myself. I think we’d make for a tremendous fight.”
With so many potential obstacles – the relationship between Stevenson and Davis, Davis’ legal issues, Davis’ potential retirement or sabbatical – one thing that doesn’t stand in the way anymore is Stevenson’s promotional status.
Stevenson confirmed to Helwani that his two-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing has come to an end following his February win over Josh Padley and this most recent victory over Zepeda.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Stevenson said. “I appreciate Eddie. Eddie did a good job making this happen. I would be willing definitely to work with Eddie. I’d work with anybody. But as of right now, I want to go clear my head and see where the space and everything is taking me.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
