Gervonta 'Tank' Davis shared late last year that his desired hit list in 2023 is headed by undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. 

The former two-division titlist Stevenson is ready for all of the smoke, and he compared the potential all-southpaw, super slugfest to one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. 

“That’s the next big fight [against Davis]. That’s the Super Bowl,” Stevenson said on the “Stamina For Sale” YouTube channel. “For sure, I’m very confident I beat everybody.

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) and Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) have previously sparred with one another, and the 2016 United States Olympic silver medalist remembered how it unfolded. 

“It was like a chess match. It was more like a thinking game between me and Tank,” said Stevenson. “I like fighting southpaws. I think he said in one of his interviews that he doesn’t like fighting southpaws. It was good for me.”

With just one fight under his belt at lightweight, it appears Stevenson will have to earn his place in the 135-pound pecking order as his profile continues to be built. Top Rank stablemate Vasiliy Lomachenko could also be a potential next foe for Stevenson. A date with Haney would appear to be unlikely, at least this year. 

Regardless of what’s next for Stevenson, he already has lofty goals set for himself. 

“I’m going to be a Hall of Famer and one of the best boxers that ever lived. I want to join the [Muhammad] Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and the Andre Wards of the world. I want to join them and get my spot and legacy like they got their spot and solidity it,” said Stevenson. 

“I’ve been really focused lately after my [Sept. 2022 unanimous dedication win against] Robson Conceicao. I feel like my focus went all the way up to a new level.” 

After the junior lightweight clash against Conceicao – a fight in which the unified champion Stevenson lost his titles at the scale due to missing weight – the soon-to-be 26-year-old moved up to lightweight and scored a sixth-round stoppage win against Shuichiro Yoshino in April. 

“I lit a lot more fires to where outside of boxing, all I’m thinking about is boxing 24/7. When my focus went up, my performance went up,” said Stevenson. 

“Honestly, if you put anybody in front of me, I will dismantle them.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.