When Gervonta “Tank” Davis introduced he was combating Jake Paul on November 14 at State Farm Area in Atlanta, the boxing world rolled its eyes. A 134-pounder stepping in with a cruiserweight YouTuber-turned-boxer who final weighed practically 200 kilos? For a lot of, it was one other circus act in a sport already fighting credibility.
The fallout hit hardest for Lamont Roach Jr. The WBA had ordered a Davis rematch after their controversial attract March, and each camps had been circling an August 16 date. As an alternative, Davis’ authorized distractions and sudden pivot to Paul left Roach stranded. Betrayal may be too mushy a word-this was a star participant strolling off the courtroom mid-game.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. praises Gervonta Davis and highlights the abilities of Shakur Stevenson
A New Door Opens
Enter Shakur Stevenson. The Newark native has by no means been shy about combating the perfect, and when followers on X pressed him about Teofimo Lopez, he did not hesitate: “Don’t fret, if he will get chilly ft I am gone battle Lamont.” For Roach, that reply was oxygen. As an alternative of sitting in limbo, he now had a lifeline from one of the game’s sharpest tacticians.
Roach himself has been vocal about wanting Stevenson. Requested lately about attainable opponents, he dismissed different names and went straight for Shakur. “One of the best battle for me, and the perfect battle for the division, can be me versus Shakur Stevenson,”Roach stated. Behind the scenes, the 2 had already agreed in precept. “He advised me straight up-we’ll battle for positive,”Roach added.
The Tank-Formed Shadow
In fact, Davis nonetheless looms over the division. At 30-0 with 28 knockouts, he stays its largest draw. However his resolution to battle Paul as a substitute of honoring the Roach rematch adjustments the dynamic. The WBA’s mandate hasn’t vanished, and sanctioning questions cling within the air. For followers, although, the maths is straightforward: Shakur-Roach looks like the true battle, the one with that means.
In the meantime, not everybody sees Tank-Paul as a loss. Claressa Shields admitted she’d watch “out of curiosity.”Shakur Stevenson? The other. Requested if he’d tune in, his reply was blunt: “Hell no.” Talking to TMZ, he defined, “From the aggressive aspect, it would not excite me. That is not boxing to me.”
The Battle That Might Save the Weight Class
And that is the hook right here. Boxing has at all times juggled enterprise with competitors, however the pendulum usually swings too far towards spectacle. A Stevenson-Roach battle looks like a reset button-a conflict between two younger fighters who nonetheless care about proving themselves.
As November nears, consideration will inevitably flip to the Davis-Paul spectacle in Atlanta. But when Stevenson and Roach finalize their deal, the junior light-weight division would possibly ship the form of battle that purists have been begging for. Roach might have been left behind by Tank-but with Stevenson in entrance of him, his future abruptly appears brighter.
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