Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson have a few things in common: They’re both undefeated — Davis is 30-0 (28 KOs) while Stevenson is 22-0 (10 KOs). They’re both lightweight titleholders, Davis holding the WBA belt and Stevenson the WBC. And they’re both in search of their next opponent, which has many wondering about a potential fight between these two American talents.
But that doesn’t mean Davis and Stevenson would be equally matched once they step in the ring, according to Kenny Ellis, who trains Davis alongside Calvin Ford.
“They can’t be 50-50 if Tank can punch and Shakur can’t punch,” Ellis said in a recent podcast co-hosted by Cigar Talk and The Rize. “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.”
Davis has shown an ability to hurt and stop his opponents out of the blue, something that means he doesn’t need to come out from the opening bell with guns blazing.
“He don’t want to get reckless,” Ellis explained. “But if he goes into the ring against Shakur and Shakur don’t got no power from the jump, what do you think that we’ll do?”
Ellis feels that Stevenson is getting more acclaim than he deserves, and that there’s no comparison between the two — not on paper and not on fight night.
“Tank is faster than Shakur. So all that stuff about Shakur being fast, Tank is faster. Tank is faster. He’s bigger. He’s stronger. He’s smarter. He ain’t got nothing on Tank. if it goes 12 rounds, I’m walking away from boxing,” Ellis said. “I don’t see what the hype is. Everybody Shakur fought, and I mean everybody, for him to be so elite, they touched him. They just didn’t have what it takes to get him out of there. No disrespect to Shakur. I’m just speaking facts.”
By David Greisman