Can Shakur Stevenson Lure Lomachenko and Tank Davis into the Ring?

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

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

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

Shakur’s Vision

“Lomachenko and then Tank,” said Shakur Stevenson to the Ariel Helwani channel about who he wants to fight in 2025 after his match against Kid Austin. “Not very confident. I think he’s scared,” said Shakur when asked how confident he is of getting a fight against Lomachenko. “I sparred him a while back, and I think he’s been scared ever since.

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

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

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 runner, especially one with no fanbase outside his hometown of Newark. If Loma does fight again, it’ll likely be against Gervonta Davis because that’s the biggest payday he can get. He won’t waste time on Shakur, who isn’t an attraction and doesn’t come to fight.

The Villian Role

Shakur’s popularity is based on his adoption of the villain role, but he’s not entertaining to watch and never will be. His whole thing is to use the old Mayweather hit-and-not-get-hit style, not take risks, and win rounds by landing a small number of potshots. Stevenson doesn’t throw many punches because he focuses on defense 90% of the time and escaping after throwing a single shot.

“He doesn’t want to share the spotlight. When my name is asked, it seems like he gets very frustrated in his feelings. He’s just got to live with it until he fights me,” said Shakur when asked why Gervonta Davis gets annoyed about fighting him during interviews.

Much of the time when Tank is asked about Shakur, it’s when he’s already got a fight scheduled or when he’s done fighting someone. The interviewers veer off course, mentioning Shakur’s name, which isn’t germane to the subject. Of course, it will annoy Tank because Stevenson isn’t relevant to what’s happening. Also, Shakur isn’t fighting anyone good and never has. He looks boring in his fights. Why would Tank want to fight that kind of fighter?

Tank: The Ultimate Goal

“If he feels that way, I feel we should fight. Get it off your chest. I’d be very upset if that fight doesn’t happen just because that’s been my dream fight for a long time. I’ve been ready to prove who I am to the world just by beating him. Yeah, I’d be kind of upset, but I don’t need him,” said Shakur.

Stevenson should carve his path rather than use Tank Davis to increase his popularity. There are plenty of fighters at 135, 140, 147, and 154 that Shakur can fight to become a star. He doesn’t need Tank’s help. If he’s ambitious, why not take on these fighters: Andy Cruz, Jaron Ennis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Vergil Ortiz, Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Serhii Bohachuk?

If Shakur were willing to take risks with his career, he wouldn’t need Tank Davis to give him a boost. There are a lot of fighters at 135 to 154 that Stevenson could fight to transform himself into a star. It takes courage, talent, and a willingness to engage. Shakur is deficient in all three of those categories.