Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his WBC lightweight title by securing a unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark; however, the performance left some fans disappointed and reminiscent of the fight against Edwin De Los Santos.

Despite this, there is now unexpected talk of a potential bout with Gervonta Davis, a prospect spurred by remarks made by Davis’ trainer Kenny Ellis.

Davis, a native of Baltimore, had been in discussions to fight IBF lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko later this year, a possibility that arose after Lomachenko’s victory over George Kambosos Jr. However, with Stevenson having completed his last fight under the Top Rank banner and now a free agent, Ellis claims that Lomachenko, who is also affiliated with Top Rank, has agreed to step aside, allowing Davis to face Stevenson first.

JUST IN: CANELO ALVAREZ VS. JAKE PAUL IS POSSIBLE – ’30-SECOND PAYDAY FOR CANELO’

In an Instagram post earlier today, Ellis announced, “Breaking news: Lomachenko said he will step aside and let Gervonta Davis fight Shakur Stevenson this fall, and he’ll fight the winner early 2025.” talkSport editor Michael Benson later picked up the story and shared in on his X account. It is worth noting that Stevenson has been lobbying for a fight against Davis, his fellow lightweight champion, for quite some time, although Davis had previously been reluctant to make the fight happen.

Gervonta Davis’ co-trainer Kenny Ellis on Instagram after Shakur Stevenson’s win over Artem Harutyunyan… pic.twitter.com/GLpMctLTkh

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 7, 2024

Meanwhile, Stevenson seems to not just be open to a clash against Gervonta Davis, but feels it’s inevitable.

The talks of a potential fight between Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson has never fizzled out, yet it was all that everyone could talk about in the buildup to the Harutyunyan fight. And the same was the case before Davis knocked out Frank Martin last month. A couple of days ago, Stevenson sat down with Boxing Scene to discuss such a matchup.

He said, “I have the best seat in the house. We all know that me and Tank is going to be the biggest fight in years to come. Everybody and any promoter will want to be involved when that happens. I just sit back and chill and try not to think about it. I’ll think about it when it happens”. Claiming a fight between him and Davis is as big as it gets, Stevenson suggested that everyone in the States would stop everything to watch their clash.

Having said that, there’s been no word from Gervonta Davis himself about such a fight, nor has Shakur Stevenson shared his comments on Vasyl Lomachenko stepping aside. Nevertheless, the prospect of such a fight happening is monumental for both of their careers.

Dana White can see a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul happening later down the line. 

Paul is scheduled to face Mike Perry on July 20 live on Netflix. He was meant to face Mike Tyson on the same date. However, Tyson pulled out after suffering from an inflamed ulcer. That fight has now been rescheduled for November 15. Paul’s biggest wins against pro boxers have been against Andre August and Ryan Bourland. His sole loss came against his first pro boxer, Tommy Fury.

The Problem Child has outlined his desire to win a world title, with Canelo’s name cropping up. Paul can generate big numbers and mega paydays. Canelo is also a huge PPV star, meaning that any payday will be huge. Although Canelo dismissed the idea of a Paul fight anytime soon, he did not rule it out in the future. White could foresee Canelo taking the fight due to the huge amount of money on offer.

READ: Despite encouragement from Anthony Joshua, UFC star Alex Pereira shuts down ‘Dream’ boxing fight

“It would be a 30-second payday for Canelo. I don’t know why Canelo wouldn’t do it. Canelo can fight real guys, keep his credibility intact, and still make that kind of money. Jake needs these guys. Jake needs Tyson and all these other people because everybody is going to tune in to hope that Mike Tyson knocks him out.

“They’re not tuning in because they think Jake Paul is a great fighter and want to see him compete. People talk [rubbish] and say whatever they want to say, but look at Canelo, he’s still the man. He jumps in there, and he does it. It’s hard to stay at that level for a very long time. Canelo is another guy who clips $40 million a fight, something like that, including what he’s making outside of the ring. A very unique few can do it,” White said

Canelo has a desire to secure big purses before he retires. He has been linked with the David Benavidez fight for some time. The Mexican Monster has been the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion for over two years. Despite this being the case, the fight has not been made. Alvarez has demanded $200 million for that fight. The Saudis are unwilling to put up those numbers, making it unlikely.

Reports indicate that they favor the Terence Crawford fight. Alvarez has also been linked with fights against Edgar Berlanga, Jermall Charlo, and Chris Eubank Jr. A fight with Berlanga could sell well on Mexican Independence Day. Canelo’s Mexican fans and Berlanga’s Puerto Rican fans could help sell the PPV. The Charlo fight is less popular since he has only recently returned to the sport following his mental health struggles. As for the Eubank Jr. fight, that bout would be huge in the UK. But since Canelo fights in the US, that is unlikely to happen in England. But Eubank is the front-runner to get that fight.

“The British Chris Eubank Jr. joined the list of possible rivals for Canelo and is now the favorite to close an agreement. He was world middleweight champion and has a record of 33-3 with 24 KOs. He has just knocked out Liam Smith, a former victim of the Jalisco, in revenge,” Salvador Rodríguez said

Despite receiving encouragement overnight from former two-time heavyweight world champion, Anthony Joshua to make a move to boxing, former two-weight UFC champion, Alex Pereira claims he is likely too old to make a transition to the sport, revealing it was his “dream” to compete in the sport.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and the current light heavyweight champion, returned to action just last weekend in the main event of UFC 303 – headlining the International Fight Week card on short-notice.

And retaining his 205lbs title for the second time consecutively, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira laid definitive waste to Jiri Prochazka, finishing the Czech Republic striker with a massive second round high-kick knockout win in Las Vegas.

Receiving massive props and acclaim from his fellow fighters and pundits like for his victory against Prochazka – that vein continued overnight for the Brazilian, who was encouraged to try his hand at professional boxing, by none other than British heavyweight star, Joshua.

“Alex Pereira should make a boxing debut one day,” Anthony Joshua posted on his official X account overnight.

“I’m honored you think so,” Alex Pereira replied. “It’s always been my dream, I’m 37 I cannot make a career in it so who do you recommend I fight?”