Shakur Stevenson today revealed his slightly changed three-fight slate for 2025, saying he wants these fighters this year:
- Floyd Schofield: *already scheduled
- Vasilij Lomačnko
- Gervonta Davis
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) defends against Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) on February 22 in Riyadh. If Shakur wins that fight, it’s unclear who his second matchup will be in 2025. He said he wanted to fight William Zepeda, but he changed his mind and hopes to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Shakur’s vision
“Lomachenko then Tank,” Shakur Stevenson told Ariel Helwani channel about who he wants to fight in 2025 after his match against Kid Austin. “I’m not really sure. I think he’s afraid,” Shakur said when asked how confident he is about the fight against Lomachenko. “I sparred with him a while ago and I think he’s been scared ever since.
“And they would definitely get in the way. So my hopes are very low,” Shakur said of whether Top Rank would stand in the way of a fight between him and Lomachenko. “With Turki, I think he can make a lot of things happen. Let’s hope he can.
“Zepeda.” He’s a good fighter,” Stevenson said when asked who would be his second fight in 2025 if he can’t get Lomachenko. “I would like to beat him too. He’s been running away from me for a minute. So I’m also a bit skeptical about that fight.”
I don’t know why Shakur brings up Lomachenko’s name other than to gain leverage. He’s already made it clear he’s not interested in fighting a runner, especially one who has no fans outside of his hometown of Newark. If Loma fights again, it will likely be against Gervonta Davis because that’s the biggest salary he can get. He will not waste time on Shakur, who is not an attraction and is not coming to fight.
The role of Villian
Shakur’s popularity is based on his acceptance of the role of villain, but he is not fun to watch and never will be. His whole thing is to use the old Mayweather’s style is hit and don’t get hit, take no chances and win the rounds by landing a small number of potshots. Stevenson doesn’t throw many punches because 90% of the time he focuses on defense and escaping after a single punch.
“He doesn’t want to share the spotlight. When they ask my name, he seems to get very frustrated in his feelings. He just has to live with it until he fights me,” Shakur said when asked why Gervonta Davis was upset about fighting him during the interview.
Most of the time when Tank gets asked about Shakur, it’s when he already has a fight lined up or when he’s done fighting someone. The interviewers veer off course, mentioning Shakur’s name, which is unrelated to the topic. Of course, this will irritate Tank because Stevenson is not relevant to what is going on. Also, Shakur doesn’t wrestle well with anyone and never has. He looks boring in his fights. Why would a Tank want to fight that kind of fighter?
Tank: The ultimate goal
“If he feels that way, I feel like we should fight. Get it off your chest. I would be very upset if that fight didn’t happen just because it was my dream fight for a long time. I was ready to prove who I was to the world just by beating him. Yeah, I’d be a little upset, but I don’t need him,” Shakur said.
Stevenson should blaze his own trail rather than use Tank Davis to boost his popularity. There are plenty of fighters at 135, 140, 147 and 154 that Shakur can fight to become a star. He doesn’t need Tank’s help. If he’s ambitious, why not go up against these fighters: Andy Cruz, Jaron Ennis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Vergil Ortiz, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Serhii Bohachuk?
If Shakur was willing to risk his career, he wouldn’t need Tank Davis to encourage him. There are plenty of fighters at 135 to 154 that Stevenson could fight to transform into a star. It takes courage, talent and the will to engage. Shakur is deficient in all three categories.
1. @KidAustin11
2. @VasylLomachenko
3. @GervontaaHe made the list for the culling for 2025 @ShakurStevenson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hASQ9bZG3h
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 14, 2025
