WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis is gearing up for his highly anticipated rematch against Lamont Roach Jr. on August 16 later this year. However, his failed plans to box YouTube star Jake Paul seem to have put the friendship between Keyshawn Davis and Shakur Stevenson on the ropes, as the pair presents opposing views on the Davis-Paul fight. 

Despite failing to secure Davis as an opponent after the shocking majority decision draw during Davis vs. Roach in March, ‘The Problem Child’ has revealed he will pursue the Davis fight after the rematch. Fans and experts have mixed opinions on the potential bout, but the WBO lightweight champion sees the fight as a net positive for the sport. 

While appearing in an interview with Sean Zittel, ‘The Businessman,’ who is about to fight Edwin De Los Santos on 7th June at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, said, “I think that him going to fight Jake Paul is amazing. I think he should go do that.” He explained that Davis vs. Paul would bring new viewers to the sport, which could help boxing become more popular. 

He even praised Davis for carrying the sport of boxing after the Floyd Mayweather era, and keeping the sport in the public eye. “At the end of the day, after the Floyd era, ‘Tank’ carried that torch and he made sure boxing was still lit for fighters like me,” Davis told Zittel. “If it wasn’t [for] ‘Tank’ and what he did, it wouldn’t be a lot of this s–t going on nowadays.”

While Keyshawn Davis made great points, they are in contradiction to how his close friend, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, felt about the same fight. Stevenson and Davis have been friends since childhood, as they grew up in Virginia, strengthening their bond through shared experiences in amateur boxing, including sparring and training together at gyms.

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In the past, both boxers have refused to fight each other despite holding belts in the same division. Regardless, the question is—how does Stevenson feel about the fight?

Shakur Stevenson sees Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul as disrespectful

Shakur Stevenson has slammed Gervonta Davis for entertaining a potential fight with Jake Paul, calling it “disrespectful to the sport.” Despite both being lightweight champions, a long-awaited clash between Stevenson and Davis has yet to materialize. Stevenson, who defends his WBC title against William Zepeda on July 12, didn’t hold back when asked about Davis’ rumored interest in a November bout with the YouTuber-turned-boxer. 

“Tank [is being] disrespectful to the sport if he chooses that over fighting me,” Stevenson told reporters. “I’m the best fighter in the sport. I’ve been telling you that and he called cap on it. So if he wants to call cap and say that I’m not who I say I am, come prove it.” With Davis set to rematch Lamont Roach Jr. on August 16 after a contentious draw, Stevenson warned: “I think it’s dangerous for him to go back in there… he better be on his A-game.”

That being said, this difference in opinions between Keyshawn Davis and Shakur Stevenson could be the beginning of a blockbuster fight between the childhood friends. However, only time will tell whether such a thing would happen. What did you make of the opposing views?