After emerging triumphant in his last outing against fellow Southpaw Frank Martin on June 15 of this year, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis is already looking to get back into the ring. Although his fight negotiations with Vasiliy Lomachenko hit a dead end, Davis’ team recently suggested that another exciting bout might be in the works.
Fans were pretty disappointed when the Lomachenko deal fell through since they wanted to see the WBA lightweight champion go up against the Ukrainian. However, recent speculations claim that the American boxer’s team has locked in on Shakur Stevenson as Davis’ next opponent. Speaking to MillCity Boxing’s host, Davis’ co-trainer, Kenny Ellis, addressed the rumors, saying,
“Shakur said he would like that fight in November with Tank. So let’s see how bad he wants it now. He’s not with Bob Arum anymore, so let’s see. The only thing that can stop that fight is fear. Huge chance [the fight happens], we’ll see.”
‼️ Gervonta Davis' co-trainer Kenny Ellis has said he believes there's a “huge chance” for the Shakur Stevenson fight to happen next: “Shakur said he would like that fight in November with Tank. So let's see how bad he wants it now. He's not with Bob Arum anymore, so let's see.… pic.twitter.com/0ynMOcidab
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 24, 2024
According to Ellis, Stevenson is game for an epic champ vs champ duel and hopes to book it for November. However, while the co-trainer insisted that there is a massive chance for such a fight to materialize, fans should note that as of now, Stevenson is a free agent after he turned down a fresh $18 million six-fight contract from Bob Arum’s Top Rank promotions.
Moreover, multiple sources, including Boxing Scene, have reported that the representatives of Davis and Stevenson have held at least one preliminary discussion on the topic of a dream fight between the two unbeaten champions.
Meanwhile, in the same interview, Ellis also took a shot at ‘Loma’ for refusing a showdown with ‘Tank’.
“He’s done” – Davis’ coach rips ‘Loma’ for lack of motivation
A power puncher vs a tactician, that is exactly what a fight between ‘Tank’ Davis and Lomachenko would have been like. In fact, the boxing world has been yearning for this particular bout for the past few years, although fans will now have to wait a bit longer to catch the southpaws duking it out in the ring.
Despite active negotiations, the IBF champ decided to turn down the fight with his manager Egis Klimas breaking the news. According to his statement, ‘Loma’ now lacks motivation and is in no mood to fight. While this sounds reasonable considering the awful situation in his home country Ukraine, Davis’ co-trainer, Ellis wasn’t having any of it.
Responding to Klimas’ explanation of why Lomachenko turned down the fight, the veteran made his feelings clear:
“If Lomachenko can’t get motivated by getting a chance at being the face of boxing, his team needs to hang his gloves where he could never reach them again. He’s done.”
Be that as it may, team Davis has now set their eyes on Stevenson and fans are hopeful that this will be the next money fight in boxing.
