For the most part, it’s hard to leave a lasting impression on James Toney. The former multi-divisional champion and recently inducted Hall of Famer simply believes that he has an eye for talent. But while he’s downplayed several of today’s fighters, he does see something special in Shakur Stevenson.
Having taken home an Olympic silver medal in the 2016 games, Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) has made it look incredibly easy in the ring, winning world titles at both 126 and 130 pounds. After successfully unifying the super featherweight division against Oscar Valdez, Stevenson’s unified reign was truncated as he failed to make weight heading into his showdown against Robson Conceicao in 2022.
Unwilling to squeeze down his ever-growing frame, Stevenson decided that a move up in weight was a necessity. Now, with the 25-year-old fighting in the lightweight division, he’ll return to the ring on April 8th, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, against Shuichiro Yoshino.
While his goal is to eventually face undisputed kingpin, Devin Haney, Stevenson has expressed on numerous occasions that he would also love to square off against Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Although Toney applauds Stevenson for his ambitions and acknowledges that he has plenty of skills, Toney believes that Stevenson should eschew Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) for as long as humanly possible.
“He’s a good fighter,” said Toney of Stevenson to FightHype.com. “Fast, got a little pop to his punches but as long as he don’t gotta see Tank, he’ll be alright.
Davis, after leaving Hector Luis Garcia unaware of his surroundings during their January 7th showdown, is heading to a showdown with longtime rival Ryan Garcia on June 10. Stevenson, until then, will continue on his own career path.
Still, whether it’s Stevenson, Haney, Garcia, or another top-tier contender, considering Davis’ mean intentions and ability to separate his foes from their consciousness, Toney has a hard time envisioning anyone who can stand up to his damaging power.
“I don’t see nobody who has the power, who has the nuts to step in and exchange with him.”