Now that Jaron Ennis has brought clarity to the welterweight division, the boxing world’s ever-shifting focus may now turn to the increasingly complex landscape at lightweight. By June, fans are expecting a rematch between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. But it’s what comes next, a potential showdown between Davis and Shakur Stevenson, that truly has people talking.

It’s a matchup that has been circling the rumor mill for quite some time, yet it remains frustratingly elusive. While Stevenson has repeatedly voiced his interest, Davis has continued to play coy, often downplaying Stevenson’s credentials. His most repeated criticism? That Shakur simply hasn’t done enough as a professional to earn a fight with someone of Tank’s stature. According to Davis, Keyshawn Davis, despite being less accomplished, has done more and should be Stevenson’s next opponent instead. Not everyone’s buying that logic.

Gervonta Davis, let the gloves talk!

Boxing insider Marcos Villegas brought up those very comments during a recent conversation with James Prince, the seasoned manager who represents Stevenson. When asked about Tank’s suggestion that Stevenson should fight Keyshawn Davis first, Prince didn’t hold back. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing but a plain excuse not to fight.

“Yeah, well, that’s an excuse and an exit plan,” Prince said bluntly. He reasoned, “Whenever you have represented the United States of America and won a silver medal where all the world was watching, you know what I mean? That within itself carries the weight of, uh, you know, supremeness, so I don’t, we ain’t trying to hear that.”

Prince emphasized the absence of any attempts to ‘patch them two up.’ However, the fact remains, for people from similar backgrounds, the matchup is culturally and socially important. “The world wants to see [the fight],” he said.

Respectfully, but firmly, he advised Gervonta Davis to stop ducking and take the fight.

A legacy fight in the making

In fact, Prince didn’t just stop at calling for the fight. He extended an olive branch to Davis, saying he’d even be open to working with him in the future. “I could befriend him and take him to the next level, as in, like, advising him and helping him out,” he stated, before adding, “I like the brother because he’s from the hood, and I know you know when we’re all from the hood, we can relate to one another just a little better.”

Before that can happen, though, Stevenson is expected to return to the ring this summer, possibly against William Zepeda. Prince acknowledged there’s no official date yet. But he suggested that Zepeda is the leading candidate. According to him, provided both parties truly want it, the Davis-Stevenson fight isn’t logistically difficult to make.

Prince even likened the potential bout to the legendary Floyd Mayweather vs. Diego Corrales fight. It was a legacy-defining moment in the early 2000s. Not to forget, Prince eventually went on to manage Corrales. He saw similar stakes here, calling a Stevenson-Davis clash an ‘enigma.’

With momentum building and public demand only growing louder, perhaps it’s time for Gervonta Davis to look past excuses and step into what could be the defining fight of his career.

So, what do you think? Will Tank finally take the challenge and face Shakur Stevenson later this year?