In the span of less than half a month, we have seen both Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis defend their lightweight titles. And despite unreal anticipation, somehow, both fights turn out to be rather underwhelming. On one hand, Stevenson had to fight a last-minute replacement in Josh Padley in his second WBC title defense. Though he knocked him out in the 9th round, most expected it to come sooner, considering Padley was brought in four days away from from night with zero training. On the other hand, unexpectedly, Tank completely fumbled the bag against the underdog Lamont Roach Jr. at Barclays Center. Or was it the fact that Roach was just that good?

On March 1, for the first time ever, Davis walked out of the ring not as a victor. The Washington native took Tank the distance for a majority decision draw, dealing him his first non-win in 31 fights. With a score of 114-114, 113-115, and 114-114 in a controversial match that could have gone either way, surely Roach has earned the right to a rematch against the Baltimorean. However, if he somehow does not get it, Shakur Stevenson has an enticing alternative for him.

Shakur Stevenson throws down a challenge

Right after the Roach-Davis’ fight, Shakur Stevenson took to his ‘X’ and wrote, “And if Lamont can’t get a rematch I got a big fight for him and a world title shot against me..” throwing down a challenge for Roach. Surprisingly, the WBC lightweight champion was at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to watch the fight live.

He got the front seat to the action and was rather impressed by the performance put down by Lamont Roach Jr. It is possible that the Newark native was there to scout Gervonta Davis for the rumored unified lightweight title clash. However, after watching the bout, his mind might have been changed.

Stevenson was quite pleased to grant this opportunity to his compatriot and wrote, “That’s my bro but we def can make something happen 🦾 good s**t,” showing confidence that both parties would reach an agreement. Well, Stevenson’s confidence looked well-founded when Lamont Roach later hinted at a hidden arrangement between the two.

The ball is in Gervonta Davis’ court

During the post-match press conference, a reporter mentioned Shakur Stevenson’s tweet to Roach. Evidently, the challenge put a smile on Washington native’s face as he exclaimed, “That’s why I love him(Stevenson).”

In a surprising move, Roach might have made his transition to 135lbs official, as he claimed that he is more than happy to fight Stevenson. “Naaah, genuine speaking, that’s what I wanna do. I wanna fight the best fights,” said Roach. Even though he is hopeful that after his performance, Gervonta Davis will grant him the rematch and both parties can reach an agreement. However, if that does not happen, “we can more than likely we can in with Shakur,” he declared.

The 29-year-old then revealed that his team had already had a talk with Shakur Stevenson in the past, which will make the negotiations seamless. He stated, “Cause we already talked, and it’s all about showing who’s the best. It’s all about good competition. And that’s what I am trying to prove, that I am the best.”

Undoubtedly, after that performance, no one can deny Lamont Roach Jr another opportunity. Furthermore, the fact that Gervonta Davis took a knee in the ninth round and it wasn’t counted as a knockdown, further strengthens Roach’s case. On the other hand, Shakur Stevenson has also been targeting a match against Tank for a while now.

However, given that this might be the last year of Tank in the sport, he might go for a bigger payday. If that is the case, no one would complain about the Roach-Stevenson match. Should Gervonta Davis give Lamont Roach a rematch? Let us know your thoughts down below.