WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis is living through what appears to be a bad phase in his career thus far. The man from the streets of Baltimore just came off the worst performance of his career. Despite being the ultimate A-Side, rival Lamont Roach Jr. put him through the wringer during their fight last month. Now, it has raised many more questions about his chances against Shakur Stevenson.

For the past few years, the WBC lightweight champion has demanded a fight against Tank, but none of his pleas have reached Davis’ ears. Despite the rejections, Stevenson continues to hope for the best, counting on a potential fight down the line. In the meantime, Stevenson has faced a tirade of criticism from the boxing public in recent years, primarily due to his overly defensive fighting style.

Many have branded the Newark native a boring fighter, pointing at his past few slow and evasive performances. This comes after the 27-year-old defeated a last-minute replacement—a part-time electrician, Josh Padley, via a ninth-round knockout in February. As Davis and Stevenson continue on their path, Interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. has predicted their fates in their inevitable clash.

While appearing in an interview with The Ring, Ortiz Jr. began by hitting back at critics as he sided with Shakur Stevenson and the latter’s defensive fighting style. When asked about his prediction for what Ortiz calls “probably the biggest fight you can make at 135,” the Dallas native seemed reluctant to choose one over the other.

“That’s a hard one, man. You know, Shakur, he’s very technical. He’s very defensive,” Ortiz told the host. “And you know what? People s**t on his defense, man. But why are you going to stand there and get hit? … no one likes to get hit. Doesn’t matter if you can take it or not. The point of action is to hit, not get hit…”

He later added, “He’s Gervonta. I don’t really have to explain why I think he’s good. It’s just both styles. I would like to see who’s the winner of it.” While Ortiz Jr. sees the fight 50-50, Davis’s trainer seems to have figured out how Stevenson plans to beat his boxer. 

Gervonta Davis’ trainer accuses Shakur Stevenson of playing the waiting game

Gervonta Davis’ trainer, Kenny Ellis, has accused Shakur Stevenson of deliberately delaying a potential super-fight against Davis in hopes of gaining an edge. In a recent interview with MillCity Boxing, Ellis said, “I see that coming from Shakur, wait as long as he can. Shakur’s trying to age him out. But he ain’t aging no time soon.”

Despite the claim, the age gap between the two lightweight champions is minimal—Davis is 30, while Stevenson is 27. The highly anticipated bout remains on the shelf for now, with Davis expected to rematch Lamont Roach after their controversial draw in March and Stevenson linked to a clash with William Zepeda. 

That said, it appears that regardless of the predictions of the potential Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson fight, the actual bout is nowhere near becoming a reality. But do you agree with the prediction?