Shakur Stevenson became a two-weight world champion at just 24 years of age and only 17 fights into his professional career.
Stevenson considers Keyshawn Davis capable of accomplishing comparable things very early in his own promising career. The unbeaten Stevenson wouldn’t consider facing Davis because he considers Davis “family,” but the former featherweight and junior lightweight champ claimed during a recent appearance on “The DAZN Boxing Show” that the elite lightweight prospect is already capable of beating any other opponent in their division.
The 23-year-old Davis improved to 6-0 and recorded his fifth knockout when he stopped Mexico’s Omar Tienda (25-6, 18 KOs) in the fifth round on the Stevenson-Robson Conceicao undercard September 23 at Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Davis exchanged words on Twitter a few days later with undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, which prompted “The DAZN Boxing Show” co-hosts Barak Bess and Akin Reyes to ask Stevenson if the Norfolk, Virginia native is ready for someone as skilled and as accomplished as Haney (28-0, 15 KOs).
“I think Keyshawn ready for whoever,” Stevenson said confidently of the 2021 Olympic silver medalist. “I think Keyshawn ready. I don’t care who y’all put in front of Keyshawn, Keyshawn is a bad motherf—–. Like it’s gonna be hard for anybody to beat Keyshawn, so I think Keyshawn, he ready to go. I think even when he sittin’ there talkin’ about the, ‘Oh, I’m 6-0,’ I think he need to even understand that he should look at his self even higher than what he even saying. Like, yeah you 6-0, but you so good that he so ready for the best of the best right now. That’s how I feel about Keyshawn.”
The more established Stevenson obviously is in better position to face top opponents within the lightweight division in 2023. Davis stated after becoming the first fighter in 9½ years to stop Tienda inside the distance that his goal is simply to become a legitimate lightweight contender sometime next year.
If Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Davis continue to win within the 135-pound division, Stevenson doesn’t envision a scenario in which he and Davis would agree to square off.
“Nah, I would never fight Keyshawn,” Stevenson said, “unless it’s for like – they would have to offer us a enormous amount of money for me to fight my little brother. … I really look at that like my little brother, like my family is his family. Like his brother is my little brother. So, it’s like I wouldn’t fight him unless it’s for like a three-fight deal for life-changing-forever money.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
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