Shakur Stevenson has been linked to a showdown with Gervonta Davis throughout his career but now the Newark southpaw has predicted how his rival would fare against one of the greats of the sport in Oscar De La Hoya.

Stevenson and Davis each held world titles in the lightweight division as recently as February, but Stevenson was then stripped of his WBC crown due to unpaid sanctioning fees and ‘Tank’ was recently demoted to the WBA’s ‘champion-in-recess’ because of prolonged inactivity.

Any hope of seeing the fight is now beginning to dwindle, with Stevenson having signed with Zuffa Boxingwhilst Davis is expected to remain sidelined until early 2027, meaning if the pair are to ever fight, it is unlikely to be anytime soon.

Despite that, Stevenson still clearly holds his rival in high regard, as when discussing hypothetical encounters in an interview with Daily Mail Sporthe picked the Baltimore-born knockout artist to trump a prime De La Hoya, who is one of just two fighters in boxing history to have ruled in six divisions.

De La Hoya fought as a lightweight for just over a year-and-a-half and is better known for his reign as welterweight champion, where he overcame the likes of Pernell Whittaker, Héctor Camacho and Julio César Chávez.

Although, whilst Stevenson also picked Davis to overcome stars such as Vasyl Lomachenko and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, he felt as though a meeting with pound-for-pound sensation Terence Crawford would prove to be a step too far for the undefeated three-division conqueror.

Bradley believes Usyk’s difficult night against Verhoeven played a major role in that decision.

“I think that the Rico Verhoeven fight was an eye-opener for him to be honest with you. He struggled with him, right, but then he was able to pull it off at the end,” said Bradley on the Inside Ring Show.

“Relinquishing the titles, for me, you see the white smoke. He is done. He has left the sport of boxing. He is going to fight [again]but he has left the sport of boxing. He is in the business of boxing now.”

Rather than suggesting Usyk is retiring immediately, Bradley’s point was that the 39-year-old has shifted his focus away from defending championships and toward maximizing the final stage of his career with the biggest available fights.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) vacated three of the four major heavyweight belts after stopping Verhoeven in the 11th round in Riyadh, leaving the heavyweight division to crown new champions and mandatory challengers. He retained only the WBO title.

Although Usyk has repeatedly stated he intends to have one more fight before retiring, Bradley believes the days of chasing undisputed status are over. Instead, he expects the Ukrainian’s remaining bout to be driven by business rather than legacy, with speculation continuing over a potential showdown against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Some fans will argue that Usyk has absolutely nothing left to prove after cleaning out both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. But for others, tossing away three world titles is a blatant sign that he wants no part of the division’s top contenders and is simply looking to cash out with one final massive payday before hanging up the gloves.

Hall of Fame trainer Buddy McGirt believes Callum Smith has both the style and physical tools to defeat undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol if the WBO-ordered title fight is finalized.

The WBO ordered Bivol and interim champion Smith to begin negotiations for a mandatory title defense this week. McGirt, who has trained Smith for the past five fights, said he expects his fighter to rise to the occasion against one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

“Callum will rise to the occasion for this fight against Bivol, without a doubt,” McGirt told The Ring. “Callum will beat Bivol with what he’s capable of. Bivol can fight, but it’s what Callum can do… he’s long, rangy and can catch Bivol when he’s bouncing in and out. Callum just has to be ready to fire.”

McGirt also believes Bivol’s performances are often dictated by the level of opposition he faces.

“Bivol fights to the capacity of his opponent,” McGirt said. “If his opponent’s good, you’re gonna get the best. If the opponent is mediocre, you’re going to get a mediocre performance. Bivol does just enough to win against mediocre guys. When the opponent is a star, he rises to the occasion.”

Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) has not fought since defeating Joshua Buatsi in February 2025 to capture the WBO interim light heavyweight title. He was scheduled to face David Morrell in April but withdrew because of an injury.

Bivol (25-1, 12 KOs) returned from back surgery in May with a one-sided 12-round decision victory over IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert. The win followed his split series with Artur Beterbiev, with each fighter earning a majority decision victory in their two championship bouts.

Asked what Smith’s strategy would be against Bivol, McGirt declined to reveal any details.

“It’s an ancient Chinese secret,” McGirt said with a laugh.

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Last Updated on 2026/07/13 at 1:29 PM