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Gervonta Davis has been credited as hitting harder than Terence Crawford. 

That is according to WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr. Norman Jr. has had the chance to spar both men. Davis is currently 30-0 with 28 KOs as he stopped Frank Martin in his last fight to retain his WBA Lightweight Title. Meanwhile, Crawford stopped all of his opponents at 147 before moving up to 154. He boxed Israil Madrimovin his first junior middleweight fight, beating him via a unanimous decision to win the WBA belt.

That took his record to 41-0 with 31 KOs. Given their ability to stop opponents, they have become some of the best P4P fighters. However, Norman Jr. highlighted some differences in their punch power. Norman Jr. felt Crawford would systematically beat his opponents up before stopping them. Meanwhile, Davis had the one-punch knockout power to change a fight at any time.

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“When I sparred Terence Crawford I was 20 years old at the time, so it was like he was trying to man me like ‘I’m gonna show you you a little boy’ type stuff. But I’m mature for my age, so that’s why we evened out. Even when you see him fight for real, he don’t necessarily one-shot people, but what he do is he just beat you up and then he kill you. But as far as one shot, who got it? I got to give that to Tank,” Norman Jr. said

Davis and Crawford were linked with a fight following some verbals over social media. This began after Davis backed Errol Spence Jr. to beat Crawford. He referred to Bud as having a glass chin. Crawford stopped Spence and told Davis to move up to 147 if he wanted to test the chin. It never happened, as Davis’ biggest fight will likely be against Shakur Stevenson. Shakur holds the WBC belt, meaning a unification could happen next year.

It is a contrast of styles as Davis’ power would have to break down Shakur’s defensive skills. Davis could walk him down and get the stoppage if he does not respect Shakur’s punches. Stevenson showed in his fight against Edwin De Los Santosthat he fights on the back foot against power punchers.

He was booed for fighting off the jab, while De Los Santos could not cut the ring off, drawing criticism from fans. Stevenson fought on the inside against Artem Harutyunyan in his last bout. Despite winning a wide unanimous decision, he never looked like stopping Harutyunyan. Ex-world champion Andre Dirrell advised Shakur to work on his inside fighting style before facing Tank.

“Shakur needs to just fix a few things and learn how to fight in the pocket. He already showed that he can; he just wasn’t firing off that last fight [against Artem Harutyunyan]. If I were Shakur, I’d test the waters with a few opponents and then jump in there with Tank. He got time for that,” Dirrell stated

Shakur will box Joe Cordina next on October 12. Cordina will move up from super featherweight to lightweight, allowing Stevenson to potentially overpower his opponent. A stoppage win will do wonders for his confidence.

The WBC lightweight world champion makes it clear.

Shakur Stevenson will defend his WBC lightweight world championship against Joe Cordina on October 12 as the co-feature to the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light heavyweight tilt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

But even still, Stevenson can’t get away from fielding questions about a possible mega fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, the WBA lightweight titleholder.

Fighter Who Sparred Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson And Devin Haney Names  Who's The Best - Seconds Out

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When asked on the ARLS Podcast whether he believes a fight with Davis or Devin Haney is more likely, Stevenson was clear with his gut feeling.

“I think the ‘Tank’ fight is more so possible,” Stevenson said. “I think ‘Tank’ is not like no scary dude. ‘Tank,’ he believes in himself to the fullest. When he’s knocking them people out it gives him great confidence. I think that fight will happen.”

When pressed to answer whether that mega bout can be made in the next 12 months, Stevenson responded: “Yeah, I could see that happening.”

Stevenson can envision that bout over a possible fight with Haney, adding: “Devin, I don’t believe he’s really that confident. I don’t believe he really believes in himself like ‘Tank’ do.”

A Davis-Stevenson fight would pit two undefeated boxers up against each other with lightweight supremacy on the line.

Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez is an accomplished champion but one legend of the sport hopes that Gervonta Davis does things differently in the remainder of his career.

Baltimore banger Davis has held the WBA lightweight title since 2023 and before that was the regular title holder from 2019. He has also held the IBF and WBA super featherweight world titles and the WBA Regular Super-Lightweight, belt but has been rather inactive in the last couple of years.

He has fought just twice, once against Ryan Garcia last April and again against Frank Martin in July, winning both by stoppage.

"I ADMIRE CANELO" GERVONTA DAVIS TALKS ABOUT THE RESPECT HE HAS FOR CANELO  ALVAREZ'S SKILLS

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The other main man in the lightweight division right now is Shakur Stevenson, the WBC champion who many want to see fight ‘Tank’.

However, he has just announced that he will instead defend his title against Joe Cordina on the undercard of Dmitry Bivol versus Artur Beterbiev on October 12.

This has upset former champion turned pundit Paulie Malignaggi, who told Pro Box TV that he doesn’t understand why Davis and Stevenson haven’t pushed for a unification fight and compares it to Canelo who, in his view, is too picky with his opponents.

“I hope Davis doesn’t become the new Canelo. I hope that he goes and makes this fight, we want to see the best fight the best, the champions fight one another. This is what we have in the lightweight division. In the Canelo situation he has all the belts so the avoidance of the top contenders is extra annoying in that case. But in this situation, we could have champion versus champion and it’s bona fide the best in the division. Cordina is solid but he’s coming off a loss.”

Davis is slated for a November return with an opponent yet to be announced.

Fans have slammed the PPV price for Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga, which has been priced at $89.99

The fight takes place on September 14 during Mexican Independence Weekend. Canelo is the massive favorite as he defends his WBA, WBC and WBO belts against the 22-0 Berlanga. Alvarez enters the fight with wins over Jermell Charlo and Jamie Munguia. The fights received a mixed reaction, with fans unhappy that Canelo did not box David Benavidez. And yet, the PPV prices were still fairly high.

The Charlo fight was priced at $84.99. The Munguia fight went further at $89.99. This was more than Errol Spence Jr. vs Terence Crawford’s fight at $84.99 and the Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia fight, which was also at $84.99. Those fights were bigger from a title perspective but also on a global scale. Canelo has been accused of taking easier fights for bigger paydays by avoiding the best.

Canelo-Alvarez Edgar-Berlanga

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“I know how he feels after losing to Bivol, so he’s been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I’m not the one who’s afraid of fighting Benavidez or Crawford. Therefore, I knew he was wasting our time and making excuses with big amounts of money that can’t be paid. So I’m continuing my way to make big fights that serve the boxing world, and he’s on his way to making easy show-only fights,” Turki stated

The undercard for the event is also not helping the cause. Caleb Plant faces Trevor McCumby. Plant lost to David Benavidez last year and may not be the same fighter. His opponent is now well known despite his 28-0 record. Plant is his biggest test, meaning fans may not get a competitive fight. Rolando Romero also faces Trevor McCumby. Romero was stopped by Isaac Cruz in his last fight, showing that he had declined since his Gervonta Davis loss. Danny Garcia will also box Eridlandy Lara.

That is seen as a credible match up. However, Garcia has not boxed since 2022 when he beat Jose Benavidez Jr. As for Lara, he stopped Michael Zerafa in March, making him the favorite. Oscar De La Hoyahas previously said that fans will boycott Canelo fights because fans are not getting the best bouts. His Berlanga fight competes with the UFC 304 event at The Sphere, whereSean O’Malley headlines against Merab Dvalishvili. Since that is The Sphere’s first combat sports event, Canelo faces a tough task.

“The September 14th fight has been made – Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga. A fight that nobody asked for. Fans are now starting to boycott Canelo for continuing to duck you know who. Also, they’re going up against the UFC at The Sphere? Good luck with making a splash with that one,” De La Hoya stated 

Despite the criticism, Canelo’s last fight sold over 500,000 PPV buys. If Canelo can get something similar, he will take it. He will fancy his chances since the fight is against a Puerto Rican on Mexican Independence Weekend.

Shakur Stevenson is running short of suitors.

The American fighter wants to stay active and prove his credentials and show the world he has what it takes because of his highly regarded technical skills. He had an explosive boxer in William Zepeda as an option to bolster his resume and boost his PPV star image. However, that’s not the case anymore. After screening out one more legend of the boxing world, the WBC lightweight has finally had his pick.

‘Sugar’ went on a rant when he admitted that his fight with Zepeda, 28, wasn’t in the works anymore. He also admitted that he had approached Vasyl Lomachenko, but the IBF champion declined the shot at unification. Stevenson, at 22-0, revealed in one of the posts, “Loma just recently said no Again.”

Stevenson: "I'm Going To Be The Person To Expose Tank Davis"

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He then stressed the fighters’ agency to take the fights, cutting across the promotions, and continued, “whatever gone get me paid the most and make the most sense I’m down!” This came after Stevenson, 27, had turned to his social media handle and disclosed that Zepeda had pushed back the date. It was already clear thatOscar De La Hoya and Zepeda, at 31-0, had other options too, and it could be a stylistically tough fight for the latter. So, Golden Boy Promotions and Zepeda pushed the fight. But the fight was still on and since he wanted to stay active in between, Stevenson picked up Joe Cordina.

The lightweight champion wrote in one post, “Zepeda pushed it back The fight will happen in February.” In another separate post, he pointed out the past weight cut issues of Cordina, 32, but praised him as a fighter and again highlighted Zepeda’s reluctance to take up the fight. Stevenson added, “Zepeda don’t want to fight just yet so whoever it is gone be they gone get this work.”

This development might come as a blow to Stevenson’s fans, who wanted him to exchange punches with an aggressive fighter. The 2016 Olympics medalist first chased a fight with Gervonta Davis and then made peace with Zepeda as an alternative. But with the Mexican fighter out of frame, he is again back to square one. But all is not lost.

Eddie Hearn recently laid down the path for Stevenson to bag the ‘Tank’ fight. And it goes through Zepeda. It would adjust him to an aggressive and volume punching style and help set up the fight with Davis. He told Cigar Talks, “If I’m Shakur, I chase the [William Zepeda] fight. I keep building my brand into the ‘Tank’ fight next year.”

It remains to be seen whether it happens or not, as Stevenson is still avoided at 135. While he is coming off a win against Artem Harutyunyan, it wasn’t a comprehensive win. He has the uphill task of stacking up the resume and ironing out his orthodox and technical style with some flair.

Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson could be on a collision course for a massive Pay Per View showdown on November 2 in Las Vegas.

World Boxing News understands promoter Tom Brown has penciled Davis in for the date after putting a hold on the T-Mobile Arena. However, Stevenson’s participation in the blockbuster depends on several factors.

At present, Stevenson is a free agent and has been meeting with prospective collaborators, one of which is thought to be Premier Boxing Champions. The multi-weight champion is being called out publicly to sign with Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn. Still, the Davis fight is undoubtedly the most significant paycheck Stevenson can land. Whether Stevenson wants the Davis fight immediately or further down the line is the only sticking point to giving fans a vast Nevada event.

Shakur Stevenson boldly claims Gervonta Davis doesn't come close to him in  one category | Marca

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Stevenson has to mull over whether to join forces with Matchroom, Golden Boy, PBC, or Turki Alalshikh for his next bout, which the fans hope will be Davis now that Al Haymon has a date and venue secured.

If a deal can’t be agreed with Stevenson, Davis will be forced to look elsewhere again after Vasiliy Lomachenko initially turned down the offer. Lomachenko showed initial interest before deciding not to fight until 2025.

Davis wants to stage a huge PPV headliner in the desert to round off another successful year. Earlier in 2024, Davis spectacularly knocked out Frank Martin to secure his place as a bonafide lightweight champion following a spell as a secondary titleholder.

Facing Stevenson would allow Davis to become a unified king at 135 pounds, which was the original plan with the Lomachenko negotiations. The only other champion left would be WBO ruler Denys Berinchyk, who may be content to hold off on facing another strap holder until fellow countryman ‘Loma’ becomes available.

Lomachenko vs Berinchyk would be a massive fight for Ukraine and ensure one of their favorite sons becomes a two-belt unified champion.

Right now, without Lomachenko in the mix, the division needs a kickstart after stars Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney moved up in weight, with Davis vs Stevenson the only fight to get over the line in the minds of the boxing public.

Las Vegas would be the perfect place to stage an event between two fighters rated in the Pound for Pound Top Ten.

It almost became reality—well, almost.

One of the biggest fights in the boxing world, Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson, has attracted eyeballs and heated debates about who is the better boxer. And the fans had it for a while, as the rumors of the fight happening had them excited. However, that was it. Boxing insider Dan Rafael had to dismiss the circulating rumors and jolt the fans.

The news of a unification fight between two champions had the internet buzzing. Two undefeated records, two fighters with contrasting fighting styles, and two gold straps—the fight has every ingredient to make it a PPV blockbuster. You add to the mix their intense rivalry and you have a mouth-watering event. So, when a channel posted about a done deal about the two having a go at each other on November 23, the fans were swept off their feet. But not for long.

Who would win Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson? Scouting Report - Bad  Left Hook

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Rafael took to his X handle and wrote, “I’m told by two people who would be involved that this is not true.” In a following post, the American sportswriter reconfirmed his stance and declared, “I asked a third source just now who would be directly involved if it was true and the response was “not at all”.”

Stevenson, 27, also had to address the rumors, as he promptly addressed the whispers of him facing ‘Tank’ next. He announced, “This is FAKE!!” Interestingly, he is already working behind the scenes to put pen to paper for a new fight. Who is his opponent?

According to BoxingScene, Stevenson, at 22-0, has zeroed in on William Zepeda. The 28-year-old is an explosive fighter with devastating knockout power. It will be a fight that pits a technically gifted Stevenson against a power puncher in Zepeda. In addition, ‘Sugar’ is in free agency, making it easier for Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy to ink a deal.

Davis, 29, on the other side, is waiting on his next opponent. While his fight with Vasyl Lomachenko couldn’t materialize, he has another champion waiting for him. Isaac Cruz wants to run it back against the Baltimore native and exact revenge for the loss in 2021. But will that happen? The fans have to wait because the champions at 140 are ready to walk the unification route.

Shakur Stevenson has been trying to get bigger fights in the lightweight division for the past few years.

However, it has not gone his way, and he has become one of the most ignored fighters in boxing. But, one legendary boxer believes Stevenson is headed in the right direction for greater success. Two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford has prepared a plan to help Stevenson get to the top of the lightweight division.

Stevenson extended his unbeaten record to 22-0 earlier this month against German boxer Artem Harutyunyan. Despite Stevenson’s victory, fans deemed it as a boring fight. Additionally, it was his last fight with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, and he has not signed another promoter yet. But the news of him being a free agent has created a buzz online.

Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson spar, gearing up for next fights -  Bad Left Hook

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Fans have criticized Stevenson for being a boring combatant. He uses a fairly defensive style of play. However, ‘Bud’ prefers that the young boxer continue doing what he is doing and make no changes to his style. During his conversation with sports journalist Ariel Helwani, Crawford stated“I would like to see Shakur Stevenson do exactly what he’s doing now. Keeping his name out there in the media, people are talking about him. Ultimately, I wanna see him fight the best in the division.”

Additionally, Crawford added, “I wanna see him unify the division and shut these guys up who are saying, ‘he’s not this great fighter they think he is’. I wanna see those guys get in the ring with him.”

Stevenson has been waiting for a long time to take on top boxers such as Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Gervonta Davis. But to no avail.

However, he feels these boxers will eventually have to fight him for the title given that he currently holds the WBC lightweight belt. Moreover, another sports icon shares the same thoughts as ‘Bud’.

Joe Cordina, a former two-time super featherweight champion, admired Stevenson’s boxing abilities. The Welsh boxer was a rival to Stevenson before, but he still admires the latter’s talent. While talking to BoxingScene, Cordina said, “It’s mad, because I see loads of people giving him stick. But if you love the art of boxing, you can’t knock it. How can you knock that? He hits and doesn’t get hit. He’s smart.”

The 32-year-old further mentioned that Stevenson is among the best defensive fighters today. Cordina stated that he genuinely doesn’t understand why the Newark native is getting so much hate. He explained, “It’s people that just don’t see the art of boxing. All they want to see is knockouts.”

Jorge Linares feels Gervonta Davis stops Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.

Davis is one of the sport’s most devastating punchers. He is undefeated with a 30-0 record, 28 of which are knockout. He stopped Frank Martin in his last fight to retain his WBA Lightweight Title. After the fight, several names were mentioned for Tank’s next opponent. Both Loma and Shakur are in the running. Lomachenko was the favorite, with Davis saying he was next.

The Ukrainian had just picked up the vacant IBF Lightweight Title after stopping George Kambosos Jr. However, it appears Loma is not interested in the fight. His manager, Egis Klimas, has said Loma has no motivation for that challenge now as he will ponder his next move. Lomachenko is not the same fighter who had previously dominated the division.

Gervonta Davis vs. Vasily Lomachenko Lightweight Unification Fight In  Jeopardy

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At 36, he has slowed down. His losses to Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez showed that. He was also vocal about considering retirement before the Kambosos fight. But he took the fight on his father’s advice, who did not want him to retire on a loss after the Haney fight. Linares was clear that Loma was not the same fighter.

“[Vasiliy] Lomachenko is a great fighter, amazing guy, amazing boxer. I fought with him, but it’s different. It’s a different time. Maybe four years ago, it would be 50/50. Now I believe Gervonta – we will see in that moment – maybe TKO, maybe some crazy KO.

“You know Gervonta is the guy who maybe wants to do the same plan as he did in the last fight [against Frank Martin]. Keep waiting and waiting. You know he received a couple of punches that night, but what happened after the sixth or seventh round? He waited for the moment, and he killed the guy. So maybe we can see the same situation with Lomachenko,” Linares said

That leaves Shakur as an alternative. Stevenson is a highly skilled boxer with great defense. But his defensive style has not gone down well with the fans. He was booed for his last two fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan. That has made Shakur less of an attractive option. Davis has shown that he can walk down his opponents if they do not have the power. Shakur is not the biggest puncher, meaning he must do more to earn Tank’s respect. Martin was doing well in the fight until Davis closed the distance and knocked him out. Linares expects the same to happen if he fights Shakur.

“If Gervonta is fighting with Shakur [Stevenson], it’s more of an easy fight. “I like Shakur, but he has so many crazy things right now. For me, it’s more exciting to see Lomachenko with Gervonta. If that fight happens with Shakur, it’s easy. With Shakur, [Davis] can do whatever he wants to do – maybe decision, maybe KO. If that fight with Shakur can happen, I think Gervonta can kill this guy,” Linares stated

Gervonta Davis’ co-trainer, Kenny Ellis, wants to target a fight with Shakur Stevenson following the breakdown in talks with Vasiliy Lomachenko. 

Davis was in talks with Loma for a possible unification in November. Tank holds the WBA belt at 135, while Lomachenko has the IBF Belt. However, Lomachenko will take the rest of the year off, leaving Davis without an opponent. But now, the focus has turned towards Stevenson. Shakur is the WBC champion at 135, which still allows Davis to unify and chase undisputed.

Stevenson is a free agent following his last fight against Artem Harutyunyan. That makes a possible Davis fight much easier, given Shakur is not held down to a network. There is also an issue with rehydration clauses since they both make 135 pounds quite easily. Ellis was hoping to make that fight next.

Fans boo Shakur Stevenson and say he is 'not ready' for Gervonta Davis after 'boring' Edwin De Los Santos win | talkSPORT

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“Still salty about Lomachenko not agreeing to fight Tank. He is straight ducking. Hopefully, Shakur won’t duck. People say Tank’s ducking Shakur, let’s see,” Ellis said

Nevertheless, there are still issues with making this fight. The fight is not as big as it could have been due to Shakur’s recent performances. He was booed during his fight against Edwin De Los Santos. Shakur was fighting on the back foot as he won a unanimous decision. He defended the performance, saying he had an injury coming into the fight. But Shakur’s next performance against Artem also came under fire. Despite Shakur dominating the fight, he failed to stop his opponent.

Some fans were seen walking out of the arena before the last round. There were also some jeers from the crowd, although Shakur put that down to Arem’s reluctance to engage. Shakur is also not a big PPV draw. His style does not resonate with the fans, while Davis has shown he needs a big dance partner to sell. The Ryan Garcia fight sold over 1.2 million PPVs, with a live gate of over $20 million.

 

That was the highest-grossing boxing event in 2023, earning Davis approximately $50 million. The Shakur fight is unlikely to get anywhere near that. However, with legacy on the line, there is a feeling Davis must take that fight to avoid claims that he does not fight top-level opposition. Terence Crawford hoped Shakur could unify the division to shut down his critics.

“I would like to see Shakur Stevenson do exactly what he’s doing now. Keeping his name out there in the media, people are talking about him. I want see him fight the best in the [lightweight] division. [And] I want see him unify the division and shut these guys up who are saying, ‘He’s not this great fighter they think he is’. I want see those guys get in the ring with him,” Crawford said

Crawford is well aware of those struggles. He struggled to make the big fights during his time with Top Rank. He held the WBO title at 147 before leaving to chase the Errol Spence Jr. fight. Bud got the fight and stopped Spence to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. The win solidified his position as a future Hall-of-Famer. Shakur may need to follow the same blueprint to get his flowers.

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