Gervonta Davis’ co-trainer, Kenny Ellis, does not see a fight with Shakur Stevenson as an even match-up.
The pair are the best boxers in the lightweight division. Davis is the WBA Lightweight Champion, who stopped Frank Martin in his last fight to retain his belt. The win took his record to 30-0 with 28 knockouts. Shakur is the WBC Lightweight Champion, who defended his belt with a win over Artem Harutyunyan in his last bout.
However, their fighting styles are completely different. Davis is a knockout artist who can change the fight with one punch. This was shown in the Martin fight, where Davis was outboxed in the earlier rounds. But once Tank tasted Martin’s power, he walked him down before getting the stoppage. Stevenson is a defensive boxer who lacks that one-punch power. While he may box towards unanimous decision wins, he will have a tough task to earn Davis’ respect. Ellis felt that was the difference that separated them.
“They can’t be 50-50 if Tank can punch and Shakur can’t punch. They both can box. They both got a great IQ. Let’s say Tank is behind and he got to get himself out of trouble, and that motherfucker’s hammer is going to get him out of trouble. Now let’s say Shakur’s behind and he got to get himself out of trouble. How he going to get himself out of trouble? He don’t have no hammer. So they’re not 50-50. They can’t be 50-50,” Ellis said