Former champion in two categories American Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) gave
interview streaming platform DAZN.
Stevenson commented on the recent victory of Gervonta Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) over Hector Luis Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs), spoke about the performance of the “interim” IBF welterweight champion (up to 66.7 kg) Jaron Ennis ( 30-0, 27 KOs), spoke about the desire to fight with the ex-champion in three categories Ukrainian Vasily Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) and ex-absolute champion of super lightweight (up to 63.5 kg) Briton Josh Taylor (19- 0.13 KO).
– Although you have not yet moved to lightweight, you constantly pop up in the conversations of all lightweights. Did you expect Gervonta to do better than he did against Garcia, or did the fight go as you expected? And what is your overall assessment after the fight?
The fight went exactly as I expected. Actually I thought he would stop him sooner. But the fight was what I expected. The tank is good at light weight. Got close well. When Gervonta cut the distance, Garcia didn’t know how to stop him.
– Many say that Tank missed a lot, that there were exchanges in which Garcia delivered a lot of punches. Is it normal for you that Tank missed so much?
He doesn’t care what he misses. He has no such worries. He believes he can take a hit from anyone.
Do you think it’s safe for him to do this against Ryan Garcia?
– No, I do not think so. I think Ryan is a good puncher. I doubt Davis will just go ahead and take Ryan Garcia’s punches. He is a smart fighter, he will adapt.
“I was in the arena when Boots Ennis fought and I heard people saying, ‘I knew he wasn’t ready, he couldn’t fight.’ When people see you knocking people out, and then you fail, they consider you a zero, not the same as they saw before. After watching his performance, what do you think of Boots? Is he ready for Crawford and Spence?
– This is a difficult question. I’d rather watch Spence vs Crawford. But after watching Ennis perform, I won’t be the critic who says he’s not real. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see that Boots is real. I think what we should have seen, really noticed, is the consistency of his power from rounds 1 to 12. He was still throwing bombs in the last rounds. This is something everyone in the welterweight division needs to take into account.
“It’s a good thing and he fought at that pace every round.
– And he was constantly active, did not slip. Just looking at the serious form he’s in, he’s a dangerous fighter for anyone. Here’s what I got from this fight.
- Ennis will beat Crawford now, but lose to Spence – Coach Porter
– If you beat one of the highly ranked WBC fighters and are at the top of the rankings, will you start calling Devin Haney if he is still the undisputed champion?
– I call him anyway. Devin now has his own situation with Lomachenko. They went down this path. He will rise to 63.5 kg. I think we all know that he will try to do it after this fight. He looked really bad before the last fight with Kambosos. You can’t continue like this. If our fight takes place, I will definitely be in favor.
If he does move up in weight, obviously you’re chasing legacy and belts and all, but what about the other fights? Such as against Lomachenko? People think you are the most technical fighter in the whole sport. Let’s say if he doesn’t have belts, but he’s still a Name. Are you interested in big fights, but not necessarily with belts on the line?
– I’ll be interested. It all just depends on how he handles the fight against Devin. He can go out and Haney just smokes him. But you should know, the same will happen to me. Probably worse in 9 out of 10 cases. It all depends on what he shows. If he has a good fight and loses, then I don’t see that it’s over with him. If he has a good fight and loses, I can imagine our fight.
“But if he surprises you and beats Devin, your duel will be huge.
– Of course. I’ll be next in line. Let’s do it. It will be the perfect fight if that happens. But I don’t think that will happen.
Will you attend their duel?
— Yes, I probably will. I want to see it. Make your notes.
— And Ryan’s fight against Tank on April 15, will you go there?
“I won’t go to Tank fights anymore.
— Oh, why? Too much drama?
No, he’s too arrogant.
- Mike Tyson named the fighter who will “become a legend”
What if you can’t get fights with the guys at lightweight and all of a sudden you get a call out of nowhere to fight Josh Taylor, who is in super lightweight? Do you want to fight him?
Yes, I will fight him. I will fight him because I feel that I can beat him. But I won’t go up there. Right now, this is insane. I haven’t grown to that weight yet.
– You have not even fought at 61.2 kg yet.
– Yes.
— I appreciate your honesty. You have tremendous self-confidence, but you have to do it gradually, correctly.
– Of course. After all, I’m human. Jumping now at 63.5 kg is just not my weight. I just came from 59 kg. Let me win the 61.2 kg division.
“If you could choose, give me a list of your next three opponents in the order you want.
– If it was only up to me and they would not have other fights …
– Yes, without restrictions, forget about TV networks, managers, everything. If you could pick three guys you want to fight in a certain order, who would they be?
Lomachenko, Devin, and then Tank.
Source: https://vringe.com/news/161956-ya-skuryu-lomachenko-intervyu-shakura-stivensona.htm?rand=141343
