Shakur Stevenson Puts Floyd Mayweather on Notice as Gervonta Davis Fight Receives Further Push

Shakur Stevenson seems keen on making the next outing even better. The Riyadh Season debut, where he defeated Josh Padley, has buoyed him up. Sure, Gervonta Davis remains in his sights, but the big superstar continues to play the waiting. Will he take the plunge and fight one of the most technically skilled fighters of the era? The fight is completely off the table and Davis previously seemed quite optimistic about a matchup with Stevenson. However, the controversy that erupted following the draw with Lamont Roach Jr. may have upset the applecart.

On the other hand, Stevenson called out Roach Jr. for a potential showdown and the latter responded with: “That’s why I love him. Genuinely speaking man, that’s what I want to do.” But in the background, there is something more important that needs attention. Be it ‘Tank’ or ‘The Reaper’ or, for that matter—any other shocking choice—Stevenson’s hand injuries continue to haunt him.

Last year’s injury sunk the Joe Cordina fight. His woes continued at the Kingdom Arena, where Stevenson reportedly injured both hands. He must figure out a way to prevent frequent episodes of injury. So speaking about the concern, the Newark southpaw felt it was high time he consulted a few experts who had been through a similar experience.

Shakur Stevenson joined Naji Chill in the latest The Cigar Talk episode on YouTube. The discussion started with the Josh Padley fight. Despite winning the match with a ninth-round KO, criticisms against Stevenson were aplenty. As a superstar, many expected him to wrap up the fight early. But Stevenson disputed this narrative. Rather, he felt Padley wasn’t truly unprepared. However, the fight recall prompted Naji Chill to take up Stevenson’s hand issue. “What’s up with the hands?” he asked. He wondered whether Stevenson had injured only one or both hands; The Cigar Talk host mentioned an emerging narrative where many perceived that Stevenson had “brittle hands.”

“I’ve been boxing since I was 5 years old. Truthfully, what I feel is now I’m just paying for my mistakes that I made in the past and I used to be like one of them that like go in the gym and just throw regular hand wraps on no gauge…,” Stevenson revealed. However, to improve his condition, he felt he might reach out to legends such as Floyd Mayweather or Paulie Malignaggi.

“To get it better, I’mma go talk to the greats, like the Floyds. I want to talk to Paulie Malignaggi cuz I heard he had some problems too, so I just want to talk to them and get what they did to help themselves and when they were in my situation,” Stevenson said.

One can only hope that the 27-year-old gets some help to prevent frequent injuries. But when did Mayweather get injured?

Top Comment by Cornell Cosby

I was just the article about what he just said n he should see a specialist

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Debate

Can veterans like Floyd Mayweather and Paulie Malignaggi help Stevenson?

Fans may remember that both Mayweather and Malignaggi’s careers were marred by hand injuries. Mayweather’s troubles date back to 2001 when he fought Carlos Hernandez. As per reports, he broke both his hands during that fight. But it doesn’t end here.

In 2013, he had to make a hospital visit after beating Robert Guerrero to assess his right hand. “He has all the problems in the world with his hands,” Mayweather’s cutman Miguel Diaz told New York magazine in 2015. But even as far as 2023, the pugilist said his fist “could be broken.”

On the other hand, Malignaggi fractured his right hand in 2008 after his match with Lovemore N’Dou. So they might be just the right people to guide Stevenson.

However, when Naji Chill checked whether the injuries bothered him at all, Shakur Stevenson remained unfazed. Though he acknowledged they might impact his ability to score knockouts, Stevenson wasn’t particularly worried about his injuries affecting his ability to win fights. He remained confident in his skills. Even with injured hands, he remains the best fighter in boxing.

With hopes of a showdown against either ‘Tank’ Davis or Lamont Roach Jr. on the horizon, fans are surely hoping Shakur Stevenson recovers in time to deliver yet another dazzling performance.

Who, in your opinion, will be the perfect matchup for Stevenson in his next outing? Let us know in the comments down below.