Hector Luis Garcia says Gervonta Davis will defeat newly crowned WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson due to his power, but former undisputed 135-lb champ Devin Haney would be a “challenge” for him.
The WBA super featherweight champion Hector Garcia recently lost to Tank Davis by ninth round knockout last January, and he knows how hard he hits from that fight.
Garcia says he feels that Tank vs. Shakur would be “pretty even,” but Gervonta’s power will be the telling factor that will result in him winning that fight.
Thus far, Gervonta and his promoters at Mayweather Promotions haven’t spoken of wanting a fight with the unbeaten Shakur Stevenson. It’s believed that the two possible opponents for Tank Davis’ next fight in the first quarter of 2024 are these fighters:
- Ryan Garcia – rematch
- Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz
Shakur unlikely to get Tank Davis fight
Given how timid & scared Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) looked in his recent fight against Edwin De Los Santos on November 16th, it’s difficult to see him having much of a chance against Gervonta (29-0, 27 KOs).
The way that Shakur fought De Los Santos, using a step-back style, makes it unlikely he’ll be getting the chance to fight Gervonta anytime soon, if ever.
It’s safe to say that Gervonta won’t want to be forced to chase Shakur around the ring in a fight that is booed nonstop by the fans.
If Top Rank wants that fight to happen, they will need to sit down with Shakur and have a long heart-to-heart conversation about his boring style, letting him know that they won’t be able to set up big fights for him if he continues to be a runner.
Additionally, they’ll need to rebuild Shakur’s image by putting him in against opposition where he can show the fans that he’s capable of staying in the pocket without running.
Although Shakur’s promoter, Bob Arum & ESPN commentators spoke of him being injured going into that fight, he fought the same way in his fights with Jeremiah Nakathilia, Joet Gonzalez, and Robeisy Ramirez.
The only thing one can deduce from those fights is that Shakur Stevenson doesn’t have the heart to stay in the trenches when facing an opponent with power or an aggressive, pressure-oriented style.
The Cuban Robeisy Ramirez humiliated Shakur in the 2016 Olympics by chasing him around the ring, peppering him with combinations to the head, winning all the exchanges due to his aggressiveness & bravery.
Tank Davis beats Shakur
“Gervonta will win because of his power. In the end, the fight will be pretty even, but Gervonta’s power will come out on top again,” said Hector Luis Garcia to the media when asked who wins between Gervonta Davis & Shakur Stevenson.
“I got to face them both. It would be a very even and entertaining fight, but Devin is very astute. He’s sneaky in a way. He knows how to move around the ring, and I think he will definitely be a good challenge for Gervonta,” said Garcia on who wins between Tank Davis & Devin Haney.
Again, it doesn’t seem likely that Tank Davis will be fighting Shakur in the future without him making drastic changes to his fighting style, which seems very unlikely.
Shakur has fought the same way his entire pro and amateur career. It’s his style, and it would be impossible for him to change without him suffering losses.
If Shakur had to fight someone like Raymond Muratalla or Vasily Lomachenko without using his step-back style, he’d likely lose to both because he has no power and hates getting hit.
Even if Shakur tried to change, he wouldn’t be able to do it, as he would revert back to his running style as soon as he gets hit hard. The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.
As for Haney, he said that if Tank Davis wants to fight him, he’d need to come up to 140 because he’s NOT coming down to 135 for that match.
