Keyshawn Davis believes IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is too “vulnerable” to beat Gervonta “Tank” Davis if he faces him this November.
Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) is one of the fighters Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is considering for his next bout after defeating Frank Martin by eighth-round knockout last Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Unbeaten lightweight boxing prospect Keyshawn believes that the 36-year-old Lomachenko would have had a chance to beat Tank three years ago, but not now, as he feels Lomachenko is too old.
Lomachenko’s vulnerability
Keyshawn didn't say where he got the idea that Lomachenko was “vulnerable,” because he hasn't been knocked out or down in any of his fights, and all three of Lomachenko's losses were fights he could have won.
“Tank can definitely win. I feel Lomachenko is smaller, weaker, older and fading,” Keyshawn Davis said on Sean Zittel's YouTube channel in November when asked what he thought about Vasiliy Lomachenko being rumored to be Gervonta “Tank” Davis' next opponent.
Tank lost a number of rounds in his fight against Frank Martin last Saturday night, and if he does the same against Lomachenko it will be tough for him to land the knockout punch.
“He has the skill and ability to beat Tank three years ago, but three years is a long time in boxing,” Keyshawn said of Lomachenko. “I don't think he can beat Tank, but it'll be a tough fight for sure, but I think Tank has a good chance of stopping him.”
Tank may not be able to win unless he stops Lomachenko because he will never be able to beat him. He doesn't have the skill to beat Lomachenko in a boxing match and he may lose every round of the fight. He will have to win with his own power, like he did against Frank, Leo Santa Cruz and Ryan Garcia.
Tank's slow start is a concern
“If you look at Tank vs. Frank objectively, they're both southpaws and Tank lost the first five or six rounds to a weaker southpaw,” Keyshawn said. “If you're fighting Shakur Stevenson, you can't have that.”
It's hard to see Shakur winning a decision over Tank Davis because he moves too much to impress the judge, and even if Tank only landed a few big strikes per round, it would be enough for Tank to win because Shakur's strikes are the keep-away kind.
Shakur will likely land some light punches and then run away, as he did in his bouts with Edwin de los Santos and Jeremiah Nacasaria.
“You can't just take him down and knock him out,” Keyshawn said of Tank's inability to beat Shakur. “If Tank comes out and takes it slow with Shakur, I think it's going to be a pretty easy night for Shakur. But if Tank comes out and steps on the gas and just fights, it's going to be a tougher fight for both of them.”
Shakur moves too much for Tank Davis to knock him out, but he would still win because the movement would throw off the referee and he's not going to give a decision to a pure runner. Stevenson didn't deserve to win his last fight against De Los Santos and would have lost if that fighter was more popular.
“Of course I'm rooting for Shakur. I think he'll win either way, whether he comes out strong or weak. But if he [Tank] “Just like he did against Frank and other opponents, he's just going to get hit and start slow. I don't think Shakur can do that. It doesn't work that way,” Keyshawn said.
