Boxing

Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis Snubbed By Shakur Stevenson In Pound-For-Pound List

Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis miss out from Shakur Stevenson's top 3 pound-for-pound list.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

When it comes to the pound-for-pound best boxers list, Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis are often named. They are two of the most entertaining, well-achieved, and fan favorite fighters on the planet. Shakur Stevenson, though, doesn't agree.

The WBC lightweight champion will defend his title against William Zepeda on July 12 and ahead of the contest, he appeared on Ariel Helwani's show and touched down on many topics, including giving his prediction for Davis' upcoming rematch against Lamont Roach.

Stevenson was also asked to name his top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He named Terence Crawford, Canelo's next opponent, as number one. In the second place he chose Dmitry Bivol, the last man to beat Canelo. Oleksandr Usyk concluded Stevenson's picks.

Shakur Stevenson
IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Stevenson told Helwani about picking Bivol as his number two:

I don't think people give him enough credit. He beat two of the biggest names [Canelo, Artur Beterbiev] in boxing, and he dominated both of them fights to me. I like Bivol.

Helwani questioned why Naoya Inoue wasn't on his list and Stevenson answered:

With Inoue, he had that one fight with 'cool boy' Steph [Stephen Fulton], he did good in that fight, he looked good. They crucify me for fighting no-name fighters and people that people don't know, feel like he has done the same thing.

Stevenson claims if Inoue beats Junto Nakatani, he'd definitely be in his list of top three pound-for-pound fighters. He declined to put himself atop the list, saying he needs to beat some bigger names first.

When Helwani asked whether Stevenson will fight again this year after Zepeda, he said:

We gotta see how my hands hold up against Zepeda and then after that fight we'll see if I am ready to go at the end of the year or next year.

Stevenson also thinks there's only one name that makes sense for him to fight next, Gervonta 'Tank' Davis.

I am going to do whatever it takes to make the fight happen. If that's what they want [signing with PBC], let me know.

Shakur Stevenson vs William Zepeda takes place at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The card is a double header with Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz at super middleweight being the main event.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.