Shakur Stevenson today revealed his slightly changed three-fight slate for 2025, saying he wants these fighters this year:
- Floyd Schofield: *already scheduled
- Vasily Lomachenko
- 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 what his second fight will be for 2025. He said he wanted to fight William Zepeda, but he’s changed his tune and hopes to fight Vasily Lomachenko.
Shakur’s Vision
“Lomachenko and then Tank,” Shakur Stevenson told Ariel Helwani channel on who he wants to fight in 2025 after his fight with Kid Austin. “Not too sure. I think he’s scared,” Shakur said when asked how confident he is about the Lomachenko fight. “I fought him a while ago and I think he’s been scared ever since.
“They would definitely get in the way as well. So my hopes are pretty 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 it can.
“Zepeda. He’s a good fighter,” Stevenson said when asked what his second fight would be in 2025 if he fails to take Lomachenko. “I’d love to hit him too. He’s been leaving me for a minute now. So I’m a bit skeptical about this match as well.”
I don’t know why Shakur mentions Lomachenko’s name other than to gain influence. He’s already made it clear he’s not interested in fighting a runner, especially one without a fan base outside of his hometown of Newark. If Loma fights again, it will likely be against Gervonta Davis because that is the biggest payday he can get. He won’t waste time on Shakur, who isn’t an attraction and isn’t coming to fight.
The role of Villian
Shakur’s popularity is based on his adoption of the villain role, but he is not fun to watch and never will be. Its whole point is to use the old Mayweather’s style hit and miss, don’t take chances and win rounds by landing a small number of potshots. Stevenson doesn’t throw a lot of punches because he focuses on defense 90% of the time and gets away after a single shot.
“He doesn’t want to share the limelight. When they ask me my name, he seems very disappointed in his emotions. He just has to live with it until he argues with me,” Shakur said when asked why Gervonta Davis bothers to argue with him during interviews.
A lot of times when Tank gets asked about Shakur, it’s when he’s already scheduled a fight or when he’s done with someone. The interviewers go off course, mentioning Shakur’s name, which is not relevant to the topic. Of course, it will annoy Tank because Stevenson has nothing to do with what’s going on. Also, Shakur doesn’t fight anyone good and never has. He seems bored in his fights. Why does Tank want to fight this type of fighter?
Tank: The Ultimate Goal
“If he feels that way, I think we should fight. Get it off your chest. I would be very upset if this fight doesn’t happen just because it’s been my dream fight for a long time. I was ready to prove who I am to the world by simply defeating him. Yeah, I’d be kind of upset, but I don’t need him,” Shakur said.
Stevenson needs to carve his own path instead of using Tank Davis to increase 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 take on these fighters: Andy Cruz, Jaron Ennis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Vergil Ortiz, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Serhii Bohachuk?
If Shakur was willing to take a chance on his career, he wouldn’t need Tank Davis to give him a boost. There are plenty of fighters at 135 to 154 that Stevenson could fight to become a star. It takes courage, talent and willingness to participate. Shakur is lacking in all three of these categories.
1. @KidAustin11
2. @VasylLomachenko
3. @GervontaaThe 2025 hit list has been compiled by @ShakurStevenson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hASQ9bZG3h
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 14, 2025
2025-01-14 23:46:00
