Shakur Stevenson Makes Gervonta Davis Swallow a Tough Pill After 1 Word Insult

When you finally get everything you’ve ever dreamed of, you’re faced with a choice: you either stay humble or start believing the world revolves around you. But once you begin acting like you’re untouchable, it’s a sure sign that the end is on the horizon. That’s how the world works. But will the same fate apply to the undefeated WBC World Lightweight Champion? But don’t be fooled—his eyes are still set on a long-awaited showdown with his long-time rival. The road ahead might be smooth for now, but when the gloves come off, the real test will begin.

Just hours ago, Shakur Stevenson clinched a hard-fought victory against Josh Padley in one of the undercard events of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch, extending his perfect 23-0 record. Even though the Newark native emerged victorious, everyone saw how he was struggling to land the knockout in the early rounds. Is it not? This wasn’t the typical Shakur Stevenson performance. Why? Well, the 27-year-old doesn’t normally take that long to finish off an opponent, especially someone considered to be of lesser caliber. Interestingly, Gervonta Davis noticed that too. He couldn’t help but tweet one simple word. “lol,” he wrote on X, perhaps hinting at his amusement over Stevenson’s struggle. Did that jab hit the right spot? Obviously, not.

A few days ago, Tank Davis sat on an interview with Jay Hill Network. Jay Hill mentioned that while Shakur Stevenson seemed talented, he still didn’t face anyone at the elite level. Gervonta’s response was blunt and dismissive. He claimed that Stevenson’s accomplishments were “amateur.” On top of that, the Baltimore native also criticized Shakur Stevenson for not proving himself against tough opponents.

Shakur Stevenson, seemingly fumed, responded on X soon after finishing his Last Crescendo Fight in Riyadh. He specifically mentioned that Davis wouldn’t dare to face Edwin De Los Santos. “Ni–a wouldn’t dare fight Del Los Santos. Who he fight that’s cracking and got skills..,” the Southpaw from the USA wrote. Not just that. Stevenson also pointed out the only notable fighter Davis had faced was Ryan Garcia, who he felt had been weight-drained before the fight. “Only ni–a was Ryan, and he weight drained the shit out of him!!” Shakur Stevenson added.

However, the situation isn’t as simple as it appears. Elie Seckbach, co-founder of ESNEWS, explained that Davis wasn’t solely responsible for not choosing Edwin De Los Santos before settling with Lamont Roach Jr. for the March 1 fight. “Any fighter doesn’t determine who they fight. The promoter picks fighters for them. Fighters don’t have that power. Do you think they do? It doesn’t work like that? Fighters don’t control nothing,” Seckbach added.

However, it seems like Shakur Stevenson doesn’t care about anything else than to secure a fight against the WBA World Lightweight Champion. Given the fact that the 30-year-old is planning for retirement, the 23-0 must make the fight happen as early as possible. So he has been doing everything he could since last year. What did he do?

Is Gervonta Davis focused on Shakur Stevenson?

According to last year’s report of Boxing News 24, Shakur Stevenson suggested that Gervonta Davis should have taken the #3 WBA contender, Edwin De Los Santos instead of taking the super featherweight Lamont Roach. Having secured a victory against the Dominican southpaw over a year ago, Shakur Stevenson believed the 16-2, 14 KO boxer would be a more challenging opponent. Although the 29-year-old earned an 8th-round knockout victory over Feargal McCrory last year, Shakur Stevenson still refused to consider him a worthy opponent for Tank.

While Stevenson didn’t specify why he believed that, he hinted that Davis might want to test De Los Santos to see if he could handle him. If De Los Santos struggles, Stevenson could use it as an argument to claim that he’s at least on the same level as Tank Davis or even better. That will surely position him as a future contender for Davis’ title. Smart.

But the saga continues further. In a post-fight interview in Riyadh last night, Shakur Stevenson said, “Seems like he’s focused on me. And Lamont Roach is focused on him. I think I’m going to go out and bet on Lamont Roach.”

It’s clear that Shakur is trying to fuel the rivalry, while also positioning himself for future opportunities. With that said, even though Shakur Stevenson is winning the fights, is he really winning? What do you think?