Promoters Eddie Hearn and Leonard Ellerbe have been arguing back and forth over a potential mega-fight between Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Shakur Stevenson.
Hearn told Ellerbe that WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) needs WBC champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) to give him a “real fight”, and that the two of them would make for a big mega-clash.
Understandably, Hearn is in a rush for Shakur to get the fight against Tank Davis. British promoter Hearn signed Shakur to a two-fight deal with his Matchroom company, which some saw as an escape route.
The way Shakur has looked in his last two fights, sooner or later he will lose to one of the contenders, and he will be useless to Hearn once that happens.
Ellerbe argued that Shakur can’t beat Tank, and the fight between them will eventually happen. The gist of what Ellerbe told Hearn is that the Tank vs. Shakur fight not ready to happen. Ellerbe doesn’t say when, but it looks like it needs more time.
Shakur’s stock is currently too low for Tank to fight him. Stevenson is coming off back-to-back lackluster fights against Artem Hartuyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos. Shakur needs a few good wins over Joe Cordina and William Zepeda before a match between him and Tank would be a viable option.
“Tank will be back before the end of the year. We’re looking at some guys right now,” promoter Leonard Ellerbe told the media about Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who planned to fight before the end of 2024.
“As it relates to the Shakur Stevenson fight, Tank wants him, but it’s all about the timing of everything.”
“I know we have a duel plan with Shakur. Hopefully he expands. Joe Cordina (on October 12th), and Zepeda in February,” Eddie Hearn said of his plans for Shakur Stevenson. “I think Tank vs. Shakur is one of the biggest fights in the sport.
“I think Tank is so exceptional that it’s going to take someone as good as Shakur to give him a real fight, and I love that fight,” Hearn said.
“He won’t beat Tank. Shakur can’t beat Tank,” Ellerbe said.
“I don’t agree. Tank loses laps,” Hearn said.
“Tank decides to do what he wants to do in certain fights,” Ellerbe said.
“You and I can have a bet on that fight,” Hearn said.
“Definitely,” said Ellerbe.
“I think Shakur is the man to beat him,” Hearn said, reiterating his belief that he thinks Stevenson can beat Tank Davis.
“Shakur can’t beat Tank. He is a very good fighter. I have a lot of respect for him with what he has done in the ring, and he has a good team around him,” says Ellerbe. “He can’t beat Tank.”
“I don’t agree with you on that,” Hearn says.
“I don’t want to go into details. He won every fight he had in the ring, but the business is always different,” Ellerbe said. “We all know what Tank brings to the table. Every time he comes out, you get it (the massive amount of media and fans that Canelo Alvarez draws for his fight this Saturday night against Edgar Berlanga.
“So, he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing, and inevitably those two (Tank and Shakur) will meet in the ring. It will happen, it will definitely happen,” Ellerbe said.
“I agree with you. I will say this about Shakur. His fire has long been dampened by people (Top Rank) who knew he was going (leaving at the end of his contract). He did a big gate in Newark for (Artem Harutyunyan fight on July 6 in New Jersey),” Hearn said of Shakur.
“He was the highest rated fighter on ESPN this year. Shakur does big numbers, but I didn’t want to tell everybody that he does big numbers. If we keep building him and he goes up against a commercial giant like Tank, Shakur vs. Tank is one of the great American fights and one of the biggest fights in boxing,” Hearn said.
“He’s a good fighter. What else do you want me to say? He just can’t beat Tank,” Ellerbe said of Stevenson.
“I think your guy (Tank) needs challenges. He’s that good,” Hearn told Ellerbe.
“He challenges himself,” Ellerbe said, brushing off Hearn.
“There’s nobody out there that’s going to give him a real fight,” Hearn said.
