WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has made a surprising U-turn regarding his stance on fellow lightweight champion Gervonta Davis’ retirement plans. Last December, the WBA lightweight champion stunned the boxing world by revealing his intention to retire after 2025. He cited politics within the sport as a major factor behind his decision.
He also suggested that he want to stay out of the way and make money. Currently, ‘Tank’ is scheduled to lock horns with WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1st in Brooklyn, New York. And if Davis follows up on his plans to call it quits, a fight against Stevenson has a lot less time to be made.
Stevenson, meanwhile, has been calling for a fight against Davis for over a year. It’s a pursuit that has transformed their previously friendly relationship into one marked by rivalry and contention. The WBC lightweight champion is also gearing up for a showdown with rising star Floyd Schofield Jr. on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of his upcoming fight, Stevenson shared his thoughts on Davis’ retirement plans during an interview with iFL TV. When asked if he could relate to Davis’ decision to step away from the sport, Stevenson responded candidly, “I get it, I understand it. It’s a lame a** game, boxing has turned very lame.”
“There’s a lot of politics and it is not about how good you are as a boxer. Sometimes it’s who you know,” he added. However, this statement seems different from what Stevenson said in another interview a couple of weeks ago.
Shakur Stevenson brands Gervonta Davis soft for retirement talks
Shakur Stevenson has criticized Gervonta Davis’ retirement talk, calling it “soft” and expressing his disagreement with the decision. Speaking to Fight Hub TV during The Ring Awards ceremony in London, Stevenson said, “If he wants to retire with the career that he got, then go ahead and do whatever you got to do. I disagree with it. I think it’s soft, but that’s on him.”
Stevenson made it clear he’s not interested in chasing Davis. “I ain’t gonna lie. I ain’t into chasing people around. If he’s willing to fight, I’m ready to fight. I think it should happen, but I can’t sit there and chase you, and then he’s going to try to make it seem like I need him. I don’t need him.”
If Davis retires without fighting Stevenson, the boxing world will miss out on one of the biggest, if not the biggest, lightweight battles in recent decades.
That said, it appears Shakur Stevenson has grown tired of chasing Gervonta Davis for a fight. By the looks of things, their potential fight seems like a distant dream, which may never become real. But what do you think? Do you think the fight will happen? What do you think about Stevenson’s changed opinion?