The way it seems, Shakur Stevenson is all set for a return. Per the available reports, the WBC lightweight champion has a title defense scheduled in front of his home crowd in Newark on July 6. He will take on Armenian boxer Artem Harutyunyan. But it could also mean that the much-sought-after title unification fight against Gervonta Davis (now Abdul Wahid) gets pushed back further.

The two have been through much back-and-forth on social media. However, many fans and pundits believe that conflict between the two remains inevitable. But it seems their match may not come off as easily as it sounds. ‘Tank’ might have mentioned Stevenson in his ‘hitlist’. However, his long-time trainer believes that until the Olympic silver medalist fulfills a condition, the face-off between two of the lightweight division’s biggest players might remain a distant dream. Now, to Shakur Stevenson, it might come across as one of the most daunting decisions he would have ever faced.

Shakur Stevenson: In the Spotlight

So coach Kenny Ellis was speaking at the ‘Mill City Boxing’. Talking about ‘Tank’ Davis’ list, he said, “If he (Shakur Stevenson) [is] on the list, then we just have to sit back and wait. That’s it. That’s it…if he’s on the list, be patient and let the clock tick. See what we get, you know.” The next question followed. If there remained any chance of fighting with Davis if Stevenson parted ways from Top Rank, Ellis replied, “If he signed with Top Rank, it ain’t going to happen. Bob Arum ain’t doing that.“

The host checked what Kenny Ellis felt deep inside. The latter replied, “If he really want to fight, he won’t sign with Top Rank.” But as it appears, Shakur Stevenson isn’t too enthused by the prospect. A user seemingly agreed with what coach Kenny Ellis hinted at. “Coach Kenny says if Shakur really wants the Tank fight, he will sign with PBC. I agree with that.”

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But then the WBC lightweight champion had a question. What does Kenny Ellis mean? So will joining the PBC ensure that he will get the ‘Tank’ fight immediately, or will he have to wait till the WBA lightweight champion completes his reported six-fight deal that he has.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place?

“If I sign wit PBC, they gone make the fight happen right away, or I gotta wait 6 fights down the line for it to happen?” He said. The list seemingly includes the names of Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson, along with a few other known names. So Stevenson wanted to know whether what Ellis said was a ploy to keep him from winning more belts. “Or is that a way to keep me from grabbing the belts?” He asked.

Laughing mirthfully, he quipped that he was unable to understand what he was required to do. If he stays with Top Rank, the chances of him getting a Gervonta Davis fight are slim. The other choice is equally bad. If he chooses to go with PBC instead, there is no guarantee that he will get to fight Tank right away.

The fact also remains that both haven’t shied away from taking potshots at each other. ‘Tank’ seemingly questioned Stevenson’s prowess while speaking at ‘Cigar Talks’. “Hell, no. Show me something he did that was outrageous. Show me. His power not outrageous. His, what defense? He just jump.” The Baltimorean asked. However, the Newark-born champion wasn’t going to take the remarks lightly. Taking to his X/Twitter handle, he replied that fighting him would be nothing short of a ‘rude awakening’ for Davis.

Whatever is said and done, one thing remains true—something on which both sides agree. A fight between ‘Tank’ and Shakur Stevenson has all the ingredients to make it one of the biggest matches of recent times. After all even Kenny Ellis replied in the affirmative when asked if the fight between Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis could be the biggest one that could be made in the 135-pound division, one that might also break the pay-per-view record. He said, “Yeah, that’s that’s gonna bring numbers because you have so many people that believe that believe in Shakur, and we know what Tank, do you know what I mean so that’s gonna break numbers huge huge numbers.“

What’s your take on Ellis’s point? Please share your views with us in the comments below.