Shakur Stevenson says he’d like to speak to Gervonta Davis on the phone to try and convince him to fight him without the promoters being involved.
Tank might think it’s creepy if Shakur called him. He might see it as stalker behavior and be further put off and change his phone number.
Tank’s Disdain
Stevenson likes trying to arrange a fight like Terence Crawford did with Errol Spence in 2023. However, Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) doesn’t think Gervonta would go for that idea because he has “some s*** against me.”
The truth is that Tank doesn’t like runners, and Shakur doesn’t belong in this era. His outdated, archaic Mayweather style is from a bygone era.
It could be that Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) is put off by Shakur’s desperate obsession with him, bringing up his name in interviews, clout-chasing to promote his fights, and being a non-entertaining fighter. Davis would be the draw in a fight between them, and Shakur would be just there as the cardboard prop.
If Shakur could build his own name by beating quality fighters and staying in the pocket to exchange instead of running, he wouldn’t need to beg Gervonta for a fight. Getting booed in repeated fights for being boring makes Shakur one of the lowest stratum of the castes in terms of boxing. He’s unworthy to be in the presence of King Tank.
Changed Needed for Shakur
– Stay in the pocket
– Stop running
– Take risks
– Face better opposition
“I said, ‘Let’s fight.’ What else do you want me to do?” said Shakur Stevenson to Shawn Porter’s YouTube channel about his asking Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis for a fight. “When I went and did that with Devin, I was clout chasing. Now, I go and do the same type of stuff with Tank, and they’re going to say, ‘He’s clout chasing. He’s jealous.’
“We’re in a new generation. These people nowadays, they got all these narratives. I said, ‘Let’s fight.’ I said, ‘Send the contract, and we can make it.’ I’m not a delusional [person]. I don’t get out there to say just anything.
“I’m not going to act like I’m the A-side, and I deserve 50-50 [for the Tank fight]. Bro, let’s negotiate and see where it goes from there. I know I’m the B-side, but let’s fight,” said Shakur.
The King and The Shortcut
Stevenson sounds obtuse, thinking that all he has to do is say, “Let’s fight,” to get a fight against Gervonta. That’s not how it’s done. He has to fight better opposition, stop running, look good, and keep the fans from booing him 24/7. If all contenders had to do is say, “Let’s fight,” to get a chance to meet with the King, everyone would do it. That’s not how it goes.
If Shakur wants to take a shortcut to a fight against Gervonta, he needs to do something valiant, like in the days of the Knights and King Arthur. He should move up to 154 and beat Bakhram Murtazaliev or Vergil Ortiz Jr. If Stevenson does that, his popularity would shoot through the roof, and he’d have no problems getting a fight against Tank.
Opposition to Earn Tank Fight
– Andy Cruz
– Jaron Ennis
– Edwin De Los Santos: *rematch
– William Zepeda
– Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
– Abdullah Mason
“I think it is,” said Shakur, reacting to being told that he and Gervonta are the two biggest names, and it’s the biggest fight. “Besides Terence and Canelo, besides that, me and Tank is the biggest fight. It’s not on me. I’m not the A-side. I’m accepting I’m the B-side.
“That was the way it went with Terence and Errol,” said Stevenson about Terence Crawford and Errol Spence talking on the phone one-on-one, without the promoters, to agree to fight. “That was a cool way. I would be down with that, but the dude [Tank Davis] has some s*** against me.
“Something about me. I would be willing to do that. Negotiate, talk it out, sit down with each other. I would be willing to do that, me. It wouldn’t happen, though. I’m open to it. It would never happen. It wouldn’t happen because of him,” said Shakur about Gervonta not wanting to speak to him.
“Yes, for sure,” said Shakur when asked if he wants the Tank fight ‘One million percent.’ “Me and Tank, that’s the focus. That’s the biggest fight in boxing. That’s the fight that’s going to get me paid a lot. Him paid a lot. He’s going to make more with me than anybody else. My focus is Tank. Me and Tank got to fight,” said Shakur when asked if he’d be interested in fighting his good friend, Keyshawn Davis.