Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford says Shakur Stevenson won’t be getting a fight against him because they’re not going to put themselves in the position where they need a knockout to win the fight.
Shakur’s Elusive Style
Ford states that with Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) being a runner, he won’t even try to put on a good show due to his style. Moreover, Ford questions whether the judging would be an obstacle to Tank winning a decision against Shakur.
If Tank has to chase WBC lightweight champion Shakur around the ring, it’ll be difficult for him to land his heavy shots to score a KO or a decision a decision.
In Stevenson’s last fight against Edwin De Los Santos last November, he used too much movement, making it virtually impossible for his opponent to connect.
The rounds were decided by two or three pecking shots that Shakur landed with his hit-and-run style. The T-Mobile fans hated it, booing the entire fight and trying to tell Shakur to stop running.
Judging Concerns
“Do the fans pay for that?” said Gervonta Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford to Marko Boxing when asked to remark on Shakur Stevenson being difficult to hit because he’s like a “rabbit” with his movement.
“Why would I put Tank in that situation when we can’t do what we do? Right now, if Tank doesn’t get a knockout, Do you get what I’m saying?” said Ford, ruling out a fight between Gervonta and Shakur due to the difficulty of landing punches against Stevenson.
“Everybody thinks Tank has got to knock somebody out to win a fight. In that fight with Shakur, I thought the guy [Edwin De Los Santos] won the first round. They gave the first round to Shakur. Do you want to put yourself in a fight like that?
Shakur’s Lack of Entertainment Value
“At least try to put on a show or fight,” said Ford, criticizing Shakur for being a boring safety-first runner. “What’s the point? That tells you something. Shakur, he’s been fighting like that for a while. Because he had a guy in there [De Los Santos] who could punch and could fight, and he didn’t get a chance to spar that guy.”
A fight between Tank and Shakur would likely be a replay of the Stevenson vs. De Los Santos.
“Shakur got Tank ready for his first IBF title shot. He know,” said Ford.
