Shakur Stevenson Blamed for “Low” Interest as Gervonta Davis Advised Not to Fight Him

Shakur’s Stevenson‘s campaign in the lightweight division has been disappointing, to say the least. His performance against Edwin De Los Santos was labeled as a snoozefest. And, rightly so. Stevenson threw only 209 punches in that fight and landed sixty-five. Nonetheless, to wash away the disappointment of that night, he hoped to put on an entertaining performance against Artem Harutyunyan in his first WBC lightweight title defense this year. That too, turned out to be such a bore that his hometown crowd started booing him. On top of that, a lot of fans were seen leaving the venue midway through the fight. There is no doubt about the talent that Stevenson possesses. He is an elite defensive boxer. But fans can be quite brutal towards a boxer who is gun-shy. Most fans pay hard-earned money to see fighters let their hands go during a fight. But, Stevenson seems to be having a problem doing exactly that.

On the other hand, Stevenson’s compatriot in the lightweight division, Gervonta Davis, is a knockout artist. Aptly named ‘Tank’, with 28 knockout wins in thirty fights, he unleashes punches packed with devastating power once he has figured his opponents out. Some would say, the two opposing styles would make for a great matchup. However, for rising featherweight sensation Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington Jr., the three-division champion needs to up his game before he gets into the ring against the 29-year-old knockout artist.

Is Shakur Stevenson vs Gervonta Davis financially lucrative?

When Carrington sat down with Jorge Jaysmooth of MillCity Boxing, Jaysmooth asked Shu Shu if the contest between the two fighters had the potential to become a huge PPV attraction. The 27-year-old Brownsville, Brooklyn native replied with a resounding “no”. Bruce Carrington, who has been a sparring partner of Tank for a few years now, largely held Stevenson to be the reason why the fans of the ‘sweet science’ wouldn’t tune in for his fight. According to him, Stevenson has to come out of his defensive shell and let his hands go in his upcoming performances to warrant a fight with Gervonta Davis.

“Right now, no. I feel because these guys are young..they have time to build it up and because how the audience has been taking Shakur’s last performance..the interest of it is low. For it to be big again, Shakur has to have exciting performances ..at least back-to-back performances,” Carrington said to MillCity Boxing.

In his last fight against Harutyunyan, Shakur Stevenson admitted that there was some work to be done in training to improve his performance. During the in-ring interview after the win, he said he needed to work on cutting the distance in the ring to inflict damage on his opponents. “I have to cut the ring a little more because my opponent was going one way and then the other, so I have to go back to the gym and work on cutting the ring,” Stevenson remarked.

It seems that to get the best out of Stevenson, a defensive counter-puncher, he needs an opponent who is willing to throw punches and make him come out of his shell. Although Davis looks like an ideal candidate for the job, Stevenson needs to be signed with a promotion first. Moreover, he needs to deliver some excitement in his upcoming fights for Davis to consider him a significant PPV draw.

As things stand, the woes are compounding for Shakur Stevenson as two big promoters have already dropped out of the race to sign him.

Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions are a no-go!

Shakur Stevenson is currently a free agent. Just recently, he turned down a fresh $18 million six-fight contract from his previous employer, Top Rank. The company’s head Bob Arum had no hard feelings toward him, stating that he was entitled to look for a better deal elsewhere. He will not be looking to increase the stakes of the offer, and thus his pursuit ends.

Reportedly, Shakur’s team also had meetings with Golden Boy Promotions but it didn’t materialize into an enticing fight contract. Dropping out of the race to sign him, Oscar De La Hoya commented, “Shakur Stevenson, you’re a free agent, you’re a great fighter and a great talent, but not for me. I believe that when somebody says you’re not fighting for the public, I cannot promote.”

Now, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing seems to be in the pole position to sign him. The British promoter believes he could do wonders with Stevenson and alleged that his previous promoter Bob Arum had done an “awful job” promoting him.

Who do you think Shakur Stevenson should fight next? Will Matchroom Boxing eventually sign Shakur Stevenson for a Gervonta Davis fight? Let us know in the comment section below.