Will Shakur Stevenson be able to lure Lomachenko and Tank Davis into the ring?

Shakur Stevenson revealed his slightly modified three-fight slate for 2025 today, saying he wants these fighters this year:

1. Floyd Schofield: *already scheduled
2. Vasili Lomachenko
3. Gervonta Davis

WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) will defend against Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) on February 22 in Riyadh. If Shakur wins that fight, it’s unclear what his second fight of 2025 will be. He had been saying he wanted to fight William Zepeda, but changed his mind and hopes to fight Vasily Lomachenko.

Shakur’s vision

“Lomachenko and then Tank,” Shakur Stevenson told Ariel Helwani channel about who he wants to fight in 2025 after his match against Kid Austin. “I don’t have much confidence. I think he’s scared,” Shakur said when asked how confident he was about fighting Lomachenko. “I trained him a while ago and I think he’s been scared ever since.

“They would definitely get in the way too. So my hopes are very low,” Shakur said of whether Top Rank would stand in the way of a fight between him and Lomachenko. “With Turki, I think he can make a lot of things happen. I hope I can.

“Zepeda. He’s a good fighter,” Stevenson said when asked who his second fight would be in 2025 if he can’t get Lomachenko. “I would love to beat him up too. He’s been running away from me for a minute. So I’m a little skeptical about that fight as well.”

I don’t know why Shakur mentions Lomachenko’s name other than to gain clout. He’s already made it clear that he’s not interested in fighting a running back, especially one who doesn’t have a fan base outside of his hometown of Newark. If Loma fights again, it will probably be against Gervonta Davis because that is the biggest payday he can receive. He won’t waste his time with Shakur, who isn’t an attraction and doesn’t come to fight.

The role of the villain

Shakur’s popularity is based on his adoption of the villain role, but he is not entertaining to watch and never will be. All yours is to use the old. Mayweather style of hitting and not being hit, Don’t take risks and win rounds by taking a small number of random shots. Stevenson doesn’t throw many punches because he focuses on defense 90% of the time and escaping after throwing just one shot.

“He doesn’t want to share the spotlight. When they ask my name, it seems that his feelings become very frustrated. He just has to live with it until he fights me,” Shakur said when asked why Gervonta Davis resents fighting him during interviews.

A lot of the time when Tank is asked about Shakur, it’s when he already has a fight scheduled or when he’s finished fighting someone. The interviewers veer off course and mention Shakur’s name, which is unrelated to the topic. Of course, this will upset Tank because Stevenson isn’t relevant to what’s happening. Plus, Shakur isn’t fighting anyone good and never has. He seems bored in his fights. Why would Tank want to fight that type of fighter?

Tank: the ultimate goal

“If he feels that way, I think we should fight. Get it off your chest. I would be very upset if that fight didn’t happen just because it’s been my dream fight for a long time. I’ve been ready to show the world who I am by just beating him. Yes, it would make me a little angry, but I don’t need it,” Shakur said.

Stevenson should work his way up instead of using Tank Davis to boost his popularity. There are many wrestlers at 135, 140, 147 and 154 that Shakur can wrestle to become a star. He doesn’t need Tank’s help. If you’re ambitious, why not take on these fighters: Andy Cruz, Jaron Ennis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Vergil Ortiz, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Serhii Bohachuk?

If Shakur was willing to take risks in his career, he wouldn’t need Tank Davis to give him a boost. There are plenty of fighters from 135 to 154 that Stevenson could fight to become a star. It takes courage, talent and a willingness to participate. Shakur is deficient in all three of those categories.

1. @KidAustin11
2. @VasylLomachenko
3. @gervontaa

The list of goals for 2025 has been established by @ShakurStevenson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hASQ9bZG3h

— Boxing in the match room (@MatchroomBoxing) January 14, 2025