Gervonta Davis Vs. Shakur Stevenson: Is This Really The “Biggest Fight” In Boxing?

Shakur Stevenson is continuing to call out Gervonta Davis after his tougher-than-expected win over William Zepeda last Saturday night in Queens, New York.

Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) is labeling his hoped-for fight against Tank as “the biggest fight in boxing.” If true, it would mean it’s bigger than the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight.

Given that Shakur Stevenson has been fighting on undercards for his last two fights, it’s impossible to take him seriously about his “biggest fight” nonsense. Stevenson isn’t a draw, as we saw the many empty seats for the Louis Armstrong Stadium last Saturday.

Shakur did not look spectacular in his 12-round unanimous decision win over Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs). He was outworked the entire fight and overwhelmed with punches in the first six rounds.

What Judges Scored Stevenson-Zepeda

The judges were very kind to Stevenson with their scoring. Indeed, one judge scored it 11-1 for Stevenson. He only gave Zepeda one round in the fight. That’s unbelievable.

Another just had it 10-2 for Shakur, which is equally baffling. If you saw the fight, you’ll know that it was almost a draw. It was difficult to give Shakur more than one round in the first six. He didn’t sweep the entire second half. He still appeared to lose two of the rounds.

The scores were 118-110, 118-110, 119-109.

Criticisms of Shakur’s Performance

• The fight scored too widely
• Not enough offense
• Took a lot of shots
• Rocked during the fight
• Ran during later rounds

“How steady he was. He wanted to win that fight really badly,” said Shakur Stevenson to the Ring Magazine YouTube channel when asked if there was anything that surprised him about William Zepeda in their fight last Saturday.

How Zepeda Outworked Stevenson

Zepeda outworked and outlanded Shakur in the fight. The wide judges’ scores didn’t reflect the more numerous shots that Zepeda landed. He definitely did. Shakur’s beat-up-looking face showed that he’d taken more punishment than Zepeda, whose face was unmarked.

“No, he did not,” said Shakur, responding to his daughter, who said, “He almost knocked you out.”

Shakur looked hurt and was almost dropped by a right hand from Zepeda in round three. He barely stayed on his feet and got beaten up in the round. It’s not surprising that Stevenson is unwilling to admit that he was hurt. That would be out of character for him.

“He was steady. He kept coming. He was tough. He put in a lot of work tonight. So, I give respect to him,” said Shakur about Zepeda.

The fight cemented the view that fans have that Stevenson lacks power, because he wasn’t able to hurt Zepeda at any point in the contest. He landed clean often against Zepeda, but the Mexican acted like it was nothing. He showed no signs of ever being hurt.

Why Stevenson Wants Davis Fight

“What’s next? I told y’all, I want the biggest fight in boxing. Y’all already know what I want. So, let’s make it happen,” said Stevenson about wanting to fight Gervonta Davis next.

Stevenson obviously wants the Davis fight for the giant payday he’ll get, because this is not about him wanting to fight the best. Shakur is smart enough to know that Tank has deteriorated by not fighting enough. The money has changed, Tank, taking away his ambition.

Tank Davis vs. Shakur is NOT the biggest fight in boxing. It’s not even the third biggest fight. It’s unclear if Stevenson has been keeping track of things, but Gervonta’s stock has dropped off dramatically since his controversial draw against Lamont Roach last March. The boxing world saw Tank Davis lose that fight and be gifted a 12-round draw by the judges.

Gervonta worsened his situation by getting arrested last Friday for domestic battery. Although he’s out, he’s taken a lot of criticism from fans.

The popularity that Tank once had has diminished due to him consistently choosing weak opposition, not challenging himself by facing the best.