Shakur Stevenson says Gervonta Davis should be taking the rematch against Lamont Roach rather than fighting Jake Paul in a “money grab WWE” type fight.
Potential Bitterness and Resentment
It’s difficult to ignore the very real possibility that Shakur may be bitter and resentful about Tank Davis fighting Jake rather than himself. Stevenson has been pressuring Gervonta hard for a fight since the New Jersey native moved up to the lightweight division in 2023.
A Look at Stevenson’s Resume
Shakur has continually called out Tank, but has done very little to earn the fight by taking on the top lightweights to increase his popularity. Instead of running a gauntlet of Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason, Raymond Muratalla, and Jadier Herrera, Shakur has chosen to fight these fighters:
- Josh Padley
- Shuichiro Yoshino
- Artem Harutyunyan
- William Zepeda
- Edwin De Los Santos
From a business perspective, Shakur says he understands why WBA lightweight champion Tank Davis is fighting Jake, but he believes that fans would prefer to see elite-level fighters face other top boxers. In this case, it would be a rematch with Roach.
Stevenson says Tank fighting Jake Paul will make fans feel, “Some kind of way,” perhaps meaning they’ll be disappointed at the quality of the matchup and view it as a “WWE” contest just to make money.
A “Money Grab WWE” Fight
“Buddy [Gervonta Davis] just came off a draw in his last fight. If you’re a champion and top-level guy that you say you are, I think a rematch would be the most competitive thing to do as an athlete,” said Shakur Stevenson to The Arena, arguing that Tank Davis should fight Lamont Roach in a rematch rather than going after a career-high payday against Jake Paul.
“The Jake Paul situation is like a money grab fight. So to me, it’s like some WWE s***,” said Shakur about Tank Davis’ next fight against Jake Paul.
Shakur comes across as deeply jealous of Gervonta taking the fight against Jake rather than facing the pure boxer Roach in a rematch. Financially, it would be foolish for Davis to fight a rematch with the counter-punching Lamont and make far less money.
Tank’s Massive Financial Incentive
- $2 million guaranteed for Lamont Roach on March 1, 2025
- $40 million estimate for Jake Paul clash
Why would Tank Davis face Roach in a rematch and make a small fraction of the money he’d get by fighting Jake Paul? Would Shakur do that? We’re already seeing how Stevenson is abandoning his WBC lightweight title and going up to 140 to face Teofimo Lopez in a money fight.
Is Stevenson Just as Guilty?
Instead of Shakur defending his title against his #1 contender, Andy Cruz, for a smaller payday in a clash that he could lose, he’s going up to light welterweight to face Teofimo for what he hopes will be a massive purse.
Doesn’t that move make Shakur just as guilty as Tank Davis by avoiding a fight he could lose that would pay less for the sake of chasing a bigger payday against a flawed, avoidant fighter, Teofimo?
Last Updated on 09/20/2025
Read the full article here