Shakur Stevenson has set the record straight about a potential fight with Gervonta Davis. The WBC lightweight champion denies ducking Davis and says no offer was ever made for the bout.
Fans wanted to see the two lightweight champions face off after both defended their titles. Davis knocked out Frank Martin in June, while Stevenson beat Artem Harutyunyan by decision three weeks later.
The timing seemed perfect. IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko had pulled out of talks with Davis, and Stevenson's promotional contract had ended, making him a free agent. But the fight didn't happen, leading to speculation online that Stevenson had avoided the challenge.
Stevenson addressed these claims in a recent interview, explaining his side of the story:
"Explain it, how can you say I ducked him? What does that have to do with me if they reached out to me, and we reached back and said 'yeah, come on' – how could you say I ducked that person?"
He clarified that Davis' team had reached out, and Stevenson's team had agreed to the fight. But there was no further communication from Davis' camp after that.
Stevenson emphasized that he never received an official offer:
"I never got one offer, I never got no offer or nothing. That's cap. That's what people make it seem like, but I'm speaking the truth. Let's speak the facts."
Stevenson was set to fight Joe Cordina on October 12, but that bout got canceled due to a hand injury he suffered in sparring. He's now expected to return in February against William Zepeda.
Meanwhile, Davis is looking to secure an opponent for a fight in late November or December.
The two champions' paths haven't crossed yet, but boxing fans will keep hoping for this exciting matchup in the future.
