Roy Jones Jr. Explains Why Gervonta Davis Must Gamble To Beat Shakur Stevenson

The Hall of Famer says Davis cannot outbox Stevenson and must force the action to have any chance of landing the fight-changing punch

Roy Jones Jr. believes Gervonta Davis would have to fight differently to beat Shakur Stevenson. The Hall of Famer says Stevenson’s footwork and ring IQ would force Davis to abandon patience and take calculated risks from the opening bell.

A Tank-Shakur fight has been discussed for years but has never come together. Davis has been out of the ring since his controversial majority draw with Lamont Roach in March 2025 and was later named WBA champion in recess. Shakur, meanwhile, enhanced his reputation with a dominant decision win over Teofimo Lopez in January.

Jones believes Stevenson’s footwork and ring IQ would force Gervonta out of his comfort zone.

“I think Tank’s is going to have to give up a lot to beat Shakur, because Shakur is going to keep them feet on him,” said Jones to FightHype.

“You’ve got to gamble against them feet; you can’t just go out there and box and think you’re going to beat him, as Teofimo found out.”

Roy Jr. said opponents who refuse to chase Shakur aggressively are likely to spend the entire fight trying to catch him.

“If you don’t gamble with them feet, he’s going to beat you all night. He’s comfortable being on that back leg and being smart about it,” said Jones Jr.

Roy Jr’s view mirrors what happened when Shakur outboxed Teofimo. Rather than trading in the pocket, Shakur controlled the distance with his movement, picked his shots, and neutralized Teofimo’s offense over 12 rounds.

For Tank, that would present a different challenge than most of his previous opponents. His patience and knockout power have carried him to world titles in multiple weight classes, but Jones Jr. believes a fight with Shakur would require him to sacrifice some of his defensive caution to create openings against one of boxing’s most elusive technicians.

If the long-awaited matchup is eventually made, Jones Jr. sees Gervonta’s willingness to take calculated risks as the key factor that could determine whether he can land the fight-changing punch he’s built his career around.

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