A simple “Lol” was all Gervonta Davis said after watching Shakur Stevenson defend his WBC title against the undefeated Brit Josh Padley. From his response, it was clear—despite the 9th-round TKO, Tank wasn’t impressed. If that wasn’t enough, only last week, boxing veteran Shannon Briggs made it crystal clear—if Stevenson ever steps in the ring with Tank, “He gonna break you.” That’s not just trash talk; it’s a warning. And it’s not just Briggs who thinks that way. Many, including Tank himself, feel Shakur Stevenson still has some miles to go before the potential Gervonta Davis fight. But, Shakur remains undeterred.

For a while now, everyone in the boxing world has seen how eager Stevenson is to secure a fight with Tank. Well, the stakes are huge—big titles, big paydays, and the chance to beat a superstar before he possibly hangs up the gloves. Now, here’s where things get interesting. Recently, former welterweight champion Shawn Porter went as far as saying that Shakur Stevenson has an even better defense than Floyd Mayweather Jr., but not everyone’s buying that. At least, not the former unified welterweight world champion.

Shakur Stevenson has miles to go before the Gervonta Davis fight, believes ex-champ

In a recent interview with FightHype.com, Keith Thurman, who is scheduled to face Aussie Brock Jarvis on March 11, was seen throwing shades at Shakur Stevenson. The 30-1 boxer mentioned that Shakur Stevenson hasn’t fought a worthy opponent like Isaac Cruz to prove his dominance in the ring. He made it clear that the 27-year-old hasn’t fought the kind of dogs that would prove he’s ready for a fight with Gervonta Davis. “Tank’s got names, bro. Tank’s been in the fire. I don’t think Shakur has been in the fire,” he stated bluntly.

He added, “I think his matchmaking is way weaker than just resumes, you know. People see a skill set… but word on the street is that boy’s been slapped.” Thurman seems to have an opinion that the Newark native doesn’t have the record to back up his reputation as a skillful fighter the way Gervonta Davis has. And his ability to take a punch is also questionable, according to the former welterweight champion.

“He’s really nice. But is he the nicest? I don’t know, man,” the former world champ posited. It might seem like he’s shaming the WBC Lightweight champion. No? Maybe. But he did lay out a couple of conditions that Shakur Stevenson would need to fulfill if he wanted to take on Tank one day. One is, “You gotta put him with somebody who (can hit). You handle them bombs… Isaac Cruz, right… I’m saying he [Shakur] ain’t even been in with any one of them type of dogs [like Isaac Pitbull Cruz]. I wanna see dogs, bro. Go through some dogs, bro,” he explained. The second condition is, “I would like two good names on the resume before stepping to Tank.”

At the end of the day, Thurman made one thing very clear—it’s Tank’s show. If Gervonta Davis wants to fight Shakur, he will. If he doesn’t? Well, that’s just how it goes. Stevenson has no say in the matter, according to him. While Thurman thinks Stevenson should fight Isaac Cruz first, does the latter want to?

Isaac Cruz is looking for a rematch

Last month, before winning the fight against Angel Fierro in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Pitbull Cruz already conveyed who he wants to fight next. In a small clip, shared by artsofboxing on Instagram, he revealed that he wants to fight Gervonta Davis after the February 1st fight. When he lost to Tank Davis in December 2021, many believed that he gave the Baltimore native a tough fight. And for that reason, Pitbull passionately declared, “And I’ll tell you what. We’re gonna be asking for the rematch in the not too distant future. I deserve it. I want it. And it’s coming.”

“I walk down the street both in Mexico, and here in the US, at the airport or wherever I am. The one fight that fans always ask for is the Gervonta Davis rematch,” he added. Moreover, the fact that Gervonta Davis also took a dig at Pitbull might be another reason for the announcement. Last month, on X, a user claimed that Ryan Garcia and Isaac Cruz were the toughest fight Tank fought. Gervonta Davis dismissed the fan’s claim, saying, “Pitbull was cake walk too.”

With that said, do you agree with Keith Thurman? And do you think Shakur Stevenson has the skills to take down Tank? And most importantly, do you think Isaac Cruz can secure a rematch against Gervonta Davis?