Soon after Gervonta Davis’ spectacular victory over Frank Martin on June 15th, it was revealed that Davis was in talks to fight IBF lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko in a unification bout.

However, Davis’ co-trainer Coach Kenny Ellis revealed that Loma has withdrawn from the bout and will step aside, allowing WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson to take his position. Ellis stated that the Ukrainian wants to fight the winner of Davis vs. Stevenson in 2025. But there has been another development in this saga which clears out a lot of doubts.

At 36 years old, it is necessary for Lomachenko to prioritize his health so he suffers the least amount of damage possible inside the ring. He would be better off letting Stevenson and Davis fight first since there would be a potential for him to win two world titles if he were to defeat the winner of this match-up. However, the earlier revelation might just have been a joke from Kenny Ellis.

Davis' trainer Kenny Ellis opts for Shakur Stevenson as next opponent for  Tank | Boxing Ghana (Official and only authoritative platform for Ghana  boxing)

Coach Kenny Ellis clears it all up!

Boxing fans were disappointed after learning from Kenny Ellis that Loma had pulled out of the fight. The Ukrainian is one of the most interesting fighters in the sport right now, so a fight between him and Davis had the scope of producing one of the biggest bouts of the year. Interestingly, fans have regained their optimism as Ellis disclosed that he had only made a joke about Loma withdrawing from the Davis fight for Shakur Stevenson. While positing an image on X, Coach Ellis revealed, “Where is the sense of humor. I was just joking. Tank vs. Loma is still on.” In the captions, he hilariously remarked: “People say I play to much 😂 sorry that’s me 🤷🏾‍♂️ 😂 😂 😂 😂.”

Even though it was just a joke, it would have given both boxers more opportunities if Davis vs. Stevenson had happened. After taking on Davis, Stevenson, who had been waiting for a major battle for years, would finally get his comeuppance. It would have increased his marketability, which would have led to bigger paychecks and, naturally, an increased fan appeal.

But the Newark native is still optimistic about getting a Tank fight sometime in the future. He believes that eventually Gervonta Davis, as the WBA lightweight champion, will have to fight him for his WBC belt for unification, and he is just waiting for that day. Following his victory over German boxer Artem Harutyunyan this past weekend, Stevenson revealed his game plan for his future.

Shakur Stevenson is hoping for the “biggest fight in the world” 

‘Sugar’ outclassed Harutyunyan and won the bout via unanimous decision. Fans, however, still felt that the fight was dull and were quite let down by it. Apart from that, Stevenson was in conversation with BoxingScene, where he claimed that his clash with Davis would turn out to be “the biggest fight in the world.” 

via Imago

The 22-0 boxer stated, “If we are really thinking about it. Every hood in America is going to watch that fight… That’s the biggest and best fight to make in boxing. That’s the game plan for me and the end goal. That’s the fight that I am going to kick the door down with. Honestly, that’s the direction I want to go in.”

Well, Shakur Stevenson believes that a fight with Gervonta Davis is inevitable and when that happens, it will be a massive showdown. What are your thoughts on it? Do you believe Davis ought to have faced Stevenson instead of Lomachenko? Or is it better that he fights Loma first? Tell us your opinions in the comments below.