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Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Shakur Stevenson Slams ‘Cherry Picker’ Tank Davis: ‘I’m More Accomplished’

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated 5/16/24

Shakur Stevenson has slammed Gervonta Davis for cherry picking his opponents.

Davis’ record stands at 29-0 with 27 KOs. His biggest win was against Ryan Garcia last year, stopping him in the seventh round. However, the win was criticized based on the stipulations Garcia had to abide by. Ryan admitted the 136-pound catchweight and ten-pound rehydration clause hindered him. Davis has been linked with big names in and around his weight class.

Fights with Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko have been teased throughout the years. A fight with Devin Haney has also been mentioned. And yet, Davis has not made those fights so far, as he faces Frank Martin next on June 15. Davis will defend his WBA Lightweight Title. Stevenson criticized the choice of opponent after Martin was on course to box Shakur.

Although Martin and Stevenson appeared to have agreed a deal, Martin pulled out after demanding 50-50. Shakur felt Tank could have faced his last opponent, Edwin De Los Santos, instead. De Los Santos stepped in for Martin. While he lost a unanimous decision, there was a perception that Stevenson was worried about his power. Now, Shakur has criticized Tank’s choice of opponent.

Shakur On Tank

“That’s why he’s fighting him. He’s picking and choosing. That’s what he do. Tank take the least risk. If Tank were this risky [guy] that he claims to be, he would have fought Edwin De Los Santos. Why not fight the guy that actually fought me instead of the guy that pulled out from fighting me [Frank Martin]? “That doesn’t even make sense. If you’re really like that. You see this guy [De Los Santos] is a really big 135-pounder. He’s got boxing skills and power. You’d get credit for beating him. Why not fight him?” Stevenson said

Nevertheless, Davis could end up facing the biggest names. Tank recently confirmed a 6-7 fight deal with PBC. The deal is reportedly worth more than Floyd Maywearher’s $200 million deal, which he signed with Showtime in 2013. Davis has outlined a list of targets, which includes Shakur.

Shakur’s Mindset

Stevenson has one fight left on his deal with Top Rank as he faces Artem Harutyunyan on July 6. Shakur could explore his free agency to try and get the Tank Davis fight. Both are undefeated. While Davis has avoided the big names so far, he has stated that he wants the biggest names before he walks away. Stevenson made it clear that he could not be criticized since he wanted the best.

“This is a game where guys take the least risk for the most amount of money, and I respect it. They got it from the best of them [Floyd Mayweather Jr?]. I get it. Truthfully, you can’t say nothing bad about me if you’re not going to get in that fire. How can I not have more experience when I’m more accomplished then this dude? I’m a three-weight world champion. Tank had two belts his whole career. They were both the same belt. He had a WBA at 130-lbs. That’s the only title he ever hold in his entire career. Then if you really want to look at it, his opponents don’t even want to fight me,” Shakur stated

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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