The lightweight title unification fight between Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most desired bouts in boxing.
But would the massive buzz translate to a slobber knocker inside the ring between the power-punching Davis and the defensive savant Stevenson?
WBA 140-pound champion Gary Antuanne Russell, who’s open to stepping down to 135 pounds to face either Davis or Stevenson, does not believe the super fight would be super entertaining.
“I believe it's going to be another boring fight but I believe Tank will win,” Russell told The Ring in an interview. “I don't think Shakur will do enough to beat Tank. It will be less exciting than Tank vs. Lamont Roach. Lamont stood in the middle of the ring and exchanged, mano y mano. I believe Shakur is a technician fighter with good defense and takes no risk. If a person is stronger than him, he's going to keep you right there at bay. He's going to line you up and pick you apart. Tank has good defense, too. A lot of the shots won't land. It would turn into a fight where Tank is the stalker and he's trying to corner Shakur by taking the fight to him. Tank is a slow starter. Shakur is going to be bouncing around, using angles, to make sure he doesn't get hit with a power shot. But I feel that would be dragged out from round one to twelve.”
Although an announcement hasn’t been made, reports indicate that Davis and Roach could meet in a rematch as soon as June 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Russell beat Jose Valenzuela in a dominant unanimous decision as the co-main event to the first fight, which resulted in a majority draw.
“Lamont Roach represented himself well against Tank and fought better than any other contestant,” said Russell. “I feel that Tank is the champion and the main guy and you really have to beat him. He didn't really take the fight from Tank. He was combative. They both started the fight really late though. It wasn't a blowout, and when you beat the champion, I feel that it needs to be a blowout, or have some dominant rounds with knockdowns or stunning punches. But it was none of that. He lasted with Tank.”
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for The Ring. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.