Eddie Hearn’s Determined Push For Shakur Stevenson Vs. Gervonta Davis, Even As Stevenson Seems To Concede Defeat

Promoter Eddie Hearn still hasn’t given up on the slim hopes of Shakur Stevenson getting a fight against Gervonta Davis. In an interview, WBC lightweight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) had the look and sound of a fighter conceding that a match against Tank will never happen.

A Lost Cause?

The Matchroom promoter, Hearn, was counting on first giving Shakur a soft opponent, which he’s done, then setting up a fight against William Zepeda to get him ready for Gervonta Davis. However, Zepeda and his promoters at Golden Boy haven’t shown interest in making a fight with Shakur.

As far as Tank, he’s got problems of his own, dealing with the Lamont Roach mess. If when that’s done, Davis reportedly wants Vasily Lomachenko, Ryan Garcia and even Jake Paul. Shakur is not on his meal list.

When Gervonta laid out the conditions for Shakur to fight him, saying he needs to face his ‘brother’ Keyshawn Davis, he was basically letting him and everyone know there will never be a fight between. Shakur got the hint, and that’s why he looks defeated now. He realises now that he was a fool to chase this mirage for so long without seeing things as they really are.

Hearn’s Resolve

Eddie isn’t giving up and it’s understandable why. WBA champion Tank Davis is the only money fight out there for Shakur at 135. If Hearn can’t make that fight, he’ll have signed Shakur for nothing.

Moreover, the way he performed in his fight against his replacement opponent Josh Padley on February 22nd, he’s not capable of holding onto his WBC belt and unbeaten record if Hearn throws him in with the general population with the killers at 135

The fights against Padley and Edwin De Los Santos showed that Shakur isn’t good enough to be with any of the contenders with ability at lightweight. You put Stevenson in with Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason, Ernesto Mercado, Raymond Muratalla, or Frank Martin, it’s over with. But Hearn can’t keep giving Shakur special treatment to keep him sectioned off, isolated from the predatory sharks.

Shakur Stevenson: “Eddie, I ain’t going to lie. I’m ready to fight any and everybody.”

Eddie Hearn: “Is [William] Zepeda going to fight you? Obviously, there’s the Tank fight, which is, that’s the fight. Tanks, really going to run out of opponents.”

“We’ve got one fight left and then some options and we want Shakur to be with us for the rest of his career,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, reacting to being told that Shakur Stevenson says he only has one fight left on his contract with Matchroom Boxing, and he wants that fight to be against Gervonta Davis.

“I believe Shakur is the best 135-pounder. Just because Tank had a bad performance last Saturday, people are now saying, ‘Yeah, I think Shakur does beat Tank,’ whereas before last Saturday, ‘Oh, you’d never beat Tank.’ Boxing is like that.

“It’s [Tank-Shakur] just a great fight. I really want to make that fight, and I believe wholeheartedly, Shakur Stevenson beats Gervonta Davis,” said Hearn.