Loma’s Manager Favors Tank Over Shakur
Egis Klimas, who is the manager for Vasiliy Lomachenko, feels it is more worthwhile for his fighter to box Gervonta Davis rather than Shakur Stevenson.
Lomachenko is the current IBF Lightweight Champion after knocking out George Kambosos Jr. last May to secure the vacant IBF title. He was subsequently linked with a fight against Davis, who currently holds the WBA title. The fight has been talked about since 2018, but it never materialized. There were suggestions that Davis was waiting for Lomachenko to decline before making that fight.
Since 2018, Lomachenko has suffered defeats against Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney. While the Lopez fight was complicated by a shoulder injury, the loss against Haney was controversial, with many feeling that Lomachenko had been robbed of becoming the Undisputed Lightweight Champion. There were talks over a Davis-Lomachenko fight last year, only for the Ukrainian’s team to confirm that he was not ready to fight.
This has increased the narrative that Lomachenko could retire from the sport. He has already become a three-weight world champion and will arguably go down as a future Hall of Famer, even if he did not achieve undisputed. A fight with Shakur had long been talked about. During Stevenson’s time with Top Rank, Shakur was looking to make the big fights after consistently being accused of not facing the best opposition.
Loma’s Next Steps
Shakur is no longer with Top Rank, having left to sign with Matchroom Boxing. But once again, he has failed to secure the mega fights, having faced Josh Padley in his debut with Matchroom. While Stevenson is also a three-weight world champion, his boxing style has come under fire. He has been accused of being a boring fighter by Tank, who feels that Shakur does not have any skills.
This is despite Stevenson being considered one of the best defensive fighters in the sport. A fight against Lomachenko would test whether Shakur can compete with the elite and beat someone who is looking to hurt his opponent. However, Klimas made it clear that Shakur is not on the radar. He felt Tank’s style would give fans a better fight, raising suggestions that fans could see that bout.
“Everybody thinks Loma is done and is out of it. Everybody wants to fight Loma. I think it’s good because if Loma comes back, that would be a very good fight to make with [Gervonta] Davis. What is a Shakur and what is a Tank? Skill and financial. He’s [Tank] a much better fighter in my way and an upcoming fighter.
“I’m not going to take anything away from Shakur. He’s a good fighter, but he’s a bumper. He goes into a shell and runs away. Tank comes to fight. It’s a more interesting fight. It’s a more intriguing fight. “That’s what makes it more interesting. That’s what makes it more interesting to fans. Right now, Lomachenko is the best opponent to fight Tank,” Klimas said
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