Coach Andre Rozier wonders if Shakur Stevenson can come back from his recent right hand injury to be the fighter he was before, and he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to handle a guy like Gervonta Davis.
To have any chance against the WBA lightweight champion Tank, the fighters must be 100%, punching with power, and not fall to the floor in pain after landing a punch. Shakur has no point in fighting Tank off.
He can’t win a decision, throwing only jabs, weak right hands, and running around the ring. The judges gave Shakur a gift in his fight with Edwin De Los Santos, but he can’t expect similar special treatment against talents like Tank.
That could happen to Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) because he’s had hand problems since moving up to 135 last year. This is why he fought against Edwin De Los Santos last year in November, and the same problem caused the cancellation of his October 12 defense against Joe Cordina.
Once fighters start suffering from hand problems, it becomes a career thing. They can’t have one bionic hand surgically attached. Shakur has never had power, even when he is healthy, but with his hand problems, he will be at the mercy of Tank and the other killers at 135, just waiting to ruin him.
“I’m 100% Gervonta Davis, and I think it’s the most difficult task for someone at 135 years old,” said trainer Andre Rozier to Pro Boxing fans. “He has the innate combination of power, accuracy and precision, and is very economical with his attacks.
“When he goes and gets you in trouble, it’s a wrap. I’m still Team Gervonta Davis, and I think he’s going to reign for a long time. We don’t know what we’re going to get out of Shakur. He’s coming back from a hand injury. So , we don’t know.
“He is a talented fighter. He knows how to control distance and distance. We need to know if he also has the ability to do that with his hands. We will see how this wound is healed, and then I can tell you more on him,” Rozier said.
Shakur could be good if he selectively fits the way his new promoter, Eddie Hearn, had in mind for him by putting him with Joe Cordina, a fighter who had been knocked out in his previous fight and looked washed out. If Shakur fights Tank, De Los Santos, Andy Cruz, or Raymond Muratalla, it could be over for him.
Shakur doesn’t talk about those guys. He wants to fight William Zepeda, Floyd Schofield and George Kambosos Jr. because he already cut them. He feels confident that he can beat them, and he probably can, but it won’t be easy if he’s operating at 50% capacity as a one-handed fighter.
The fight Muratalla, Tank, De Los Santos, or Cruz would be the end for him. Hearn couldn’t get rid of Shakur quickly once lost to one or two of those guys. He won’t put them through the same expensive four-fight rebuilding job as he did with Anthony Joshua. It costs too much, and those problems will always be there for Shakur once he gets out of the four tomatoes of the grocery store.
“That’s one of the keys,” Rozier said when he said Shakur would need to keep Tank Davis off him for 12 rounds. “Now, you’re talking about two of the best lightweights. There are pros and cons, but I think when they get together, it’s going to be a fantastic fight.”
Shakur couldn’t keep Tank Davis off him if he was in the health press, as he did when he turned pro in 2017 after his crying episode at the Olympics. The tank is too powerful and walked through his shots like Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba did in the final of the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s almost reminiscent of the days of Sugar Ray Leonard, Duran, Tommy Hearns. These guys are so talented that you don’t know what direction you want to go in there. But I think when they get in there, I think everyone is going to really enjoy it what’s going on,” Rozier said.
