Paulie Malignaggi has called out WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 30-0 (28) for ducking a fight against WBC counterpart Shakur ‘Fearless’ Stevenson 21-0 (10).
Baltimore southpaw Davis, 29, delivered another explosive knockout on Saturday night when he starched challenger Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin 18-1 (12) in the eighth-round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
An all-American showdown between Davis and fellow lefty Stevenson, 26, of Newark would seem a natural, featuring two undefeated boxers with contrasting styles: one a pure boxer, the other a pure puncher.
But ex-world titleholder turned pundit Malignaggi has been less than impressed with how Davis has addressed the potential fight, saying he should be focusing on a younger, fresher fighter rather than trying to land a fight with veteran Ukrainian southpaw Vasiliy Lomachenko 18-3 (12). The 36-year-old holds the IBF belt at 135-pounds.
“They talked about Lomachenko at the post-fight press conference. Stevenson was always mentioning Lomachenko’s name,” Malignaggi said to ProBox TV.
“Now that Lomachenko is 175 years old and he still looks good, but you’re [Tank Davis] naming Lomachenko at the post-fight press conference. But now Stevenson is the prime guy, who doesn’t represent a risk that you want to take.
“This is my issue here. When I wanted to see Davis and Lomachenko, I wanted to see Davis and Lomachenko. I don’t need to see Davis and Lomachenko when it’s too late already.
“Now, I want to see Davis and Stevenson.
“Guess what? Nobody is talking about Davis and Stevenson. That’s my issue. That’s my problem with boxing.
“They make fights when it’s convenient for them when there’s an advantage. Davis looked terrific [against Frank Martin]. I was very impressed with the performance.
“The way he was able to go and get that win, but come on. Shakur Stevenson is a different proposition than anybody else.
“The little bit of problems that you saw Frank giving Davis. It’s times ten when Shakur is in there because Shakur is the tall, rangy southpaw with a lot more IQ and a lot more versatility with his style.”
Stevenson is scheduled to defend his green belt against 33-year-old Armenian-born German Artem Harutyunyan 12-1 (7) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on July 6.
Providing Stevenson wins and comes through the bout unscathed, both Davis and himself will be, in theory, free to fight each other later this year.
“I’d love to see the fight. I’m saying this because I want to see the fight. I think Davis is very qualified for that fight. Do I edge Shakur? I’ve always edged Shakur. I think Davis is very qualified for that fight. He looks terrific,” said Malignaggi.
“He’s a thinker. It’s not just the twitch and the power. It’s also his understanding in there. He knows how to set things up. I want to see two get it on. Not later. I want to see them get it on now in their prime.”
