Gervonta 'Tank' Davis and Jake Paul will square off on November 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The boxing world reacted with skepticism to this matchup between a 134-pound champion and a cruiserweight who last weighed nearly 200 pounds.
Davis left his WBA-ordered rematch with Lamont Roach Jr hanging. The two fought to a controversial draw in March, and were set to meet again on August 16. Davis' legal issues and the Paul fight announcement put an end to those plans.
Roach felt let down by the turn of events. He likened it to a star player walking off mid-game. But a new opportunity emerged when Shakur Stevenson offered to step in.
Stevenson made the offer on X (formerly Twitter) while discussing Teofimo Lopez with fans. "Don't worry, if he gets cold feet I'm gone fight Lamont," Stevenson wrote.
Roach jumped at the chance. When asked about potential opponents, he said:
"The best fight for me, and the best fight for the division, would be me versus Shakur Stevenson"
The two fighters have already spoken about making the bout happen. Roach shared:
"He told me straight up-we'll fight for sure"
Meanwhile, the Davis-Paul fight got mixed reactions from boxing stars. Claressa Shields said she'd watch out of curiosity. Stevenson was less enthusiastic, telling TMZ:
"Hell no. From the competitive side, it doesn't excite me. That's not boxing to me."
A Stevenson-Roach matchup could reset the focus on competitive boxing. It offers a clash between young fighters out to prove themselves, in contrast to the spectacle of Davis-Paul.
The boxing world will likely focus on the Davis-Paul event in November. But if Stevenson and Roach finalize their deal, junior lightweight fans may get the fight they've been waiting for. For Roach, facing Stevenson looks like a brighter future than waiting on Davis.
