Shakur Stevenson is, at the moment, a constant fixture at all the high-profile events, owing to his upcoming title defense on a massive Riyadh Season card. The 27-year-old is set to defend his WBC lightweight title against Floyd Schofield on February 22 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on the Bivol-Beterbiev undercard. And what’s thrilling is the fact that both men are undefeated, which makes this bout even more intriguing. Despite a fight with Kid Austin inching closer, the chatter surrounding a Gervonta Davis title unification just refuses to die down.

For the past month or so, the Newark native had been answering questions regarding a possible face-off with the WBA lightweight champion. The fight had all the fixings of a blockbuster—titles on the line, distinct fighting styles, and the legacy of being called the best lightweight boxer of this generation. This was the reason why Shakur Stevenson had been chasing the fight for over two years. However, based on his recent conversation at the Diego Pacheco-Steven Nelson fight, it seems there is only one reason for him to even keep boxing. And the argument seems to be coming straight out of his rival’s playbook.

Not worth it for Shakur Stevenson

Not long ago, a video of Shakur Stevenson surfaced on X, posted by Elitooreal. In this interview, when asked if becoming an undisputed lightweight champion was a focus of his, the Southpaw from New Jersey expressed his candid and somewhat disillusioned perspective. Shakur Stevenson openly admitted that becoming an undisputed champion is no longer a primary goal for him. “Nah, not really… My truth is like… boxing is politics. So anybody could be undisputed in the right fight… I ain’t trying to,” he admitted.

He suggested that achievements like becoming undisputed or even a champion can sometimes depend more on circumstances, matchups, and even external factors than purely on skill or merit. But why the sudden change in heart? “I used to want to accomplish that undisputed thing,” but Shakur Stevenson now sees the sport as “fake” in certain ways. He added, “I realized how fake this whole game is. How fake everything is.” Instead of chasing accolades, titles, and legacy, the 22-o boxer is now “focused in myself and what I gotta do with it.” Towards the end, Stevenson emphasized, “Truthfully, nah, I don’t really care about this sh*t.”

For those who may recall, this was the exact same outlook and attitude that was exuded by Shakur Stevenson’s longtime rival Gervonta Davis when Tank made his retirement announcement last month. His frankness about his dismissal of the goal seemed to echo the mindset Gervonta Davis expressed in the past. And many fans were quick to notice the similarity.

Is Gervonta Davis the cause of criticism and confusion?

One fan was quick to point out the double standards in the sport. “@Gervontaa, but when u say u don’t care about belts they make it a big deal 😂 @ShakurStevenson now he don’t care about belts,” the comment read. Gervonta Davis has long claimed that he doesn’t care about belts and only cares about the payday, as he views himself as a “prizefighter.” Now, when Shakur says the same thing, fans are noticing the contradiction, questioning why it’s acceptable when Tank does it but not when Shakur does.

“The @Gervontaa influence is crazy……but before all he wanted was belts,” a user commented by resharing a video where Shakur himself had said, “I wanna fight for belts basically.” This was before Gervonta Davis became known for downplaying the importance of titles. It shows how Shakur’s views have evolved.

Some fans took this opportunity to remind others that while Gervonta Davis has won titles like the WBA, he’s been dismissive of their significance. Another comment read, “He basically talking about himself cause he say tank never won any real belt but all the belts he got was already under top rank stable, which is boxing politics. But y’all don’t be listening.”

Another user pointed out the hypocrisy in how fans react to statements about belts. The comment read, “It only matters when Tank says some shit like that, but let it be anyone else, and all of a sudden no one gives a damn 😂 I haven’t seen not one MF speak down on this lol.”

A fan suggested that Shakur Stevenson should follow the example of his friend and mentor Terence Crawford, who earned his undisputed status through hard-fought victories. “@ShakurStevenson, collect the belts bruh. Let your legacy involve that like Bud’s. Don’t get that Tank mindset. Stay focused on that legacy + big fights,” the comment advised. They warned him not to fall into the mindset like that of Gervonta Davis, who has repeatedly downplayed the significance of titles and legacy and has been talking about retirement.

While it’s clear that Shakur Stevenson’s mindset has shifted, it’s uncertain whether this change is for better or worse. In the end, it remains to be seen how Shakur’s career will unfold. What do you think about his comments? Do you believe he’s losing sight of his true potential?