Shakur Stevenson is widely regarded as one of the most skilled fighters in boxing, and is usually not shy about letting people know about it.
A two weight world champion aged just 25 and more to follow seeming like an inevitability, Stevenson rightly has a high opinion of himself and has said previously there are few like him around.
However, in a recent interview with FighterIQ, the Newark southpaw admitted he felt like Top Rank stablemate, Keyshawn Davis, was on a similar level when the pair sparred together.
“I’m a real person at the end of the day, and I always tell the truth. What makes him [Davis] different for me, that I’ve been in the ring with him, and he gives me great sparring, he gives me great work.
I’ll keep it real with you, that’s what makes him different for me. When I get in the ring with somebody and they’re able to compete with me on a high skill level, it shows me how good he is.
One thing I like about him is, he’s a real disrespectful fighter. And that’s going to take him a long way too.
They can move Keyshawn as fast as they want to move him, I feel like he’s ready for the big fights and the big names at 135lbs. I think he can handle his own with any fighter in the world and he’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Davis scored a career best win over twice world title challenger Anthony Yigit last time out, and will hope to continue his own progression towards the biggest honours against Francisco Patera next month.
Should the two keep winning, a huge fight between Stevenson and Davis is only a matter of time.