The Lightweight Division: A Look at 135 After A Night Of Lightweight Action

Shakur Stevenson performed like Shakur Stevenson Saturday night, cruising to a way-too-even-keel unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan in defense of his WBC lightweight title.

Lightweight top contender William Zepeda, meanwhile, performed like William Zepeda, blasting away the overmatched Giovanni Cabrera in three rounds.

After both bouts, the winners were asked about their future plans in an increasingly interesting 135 lb. class. Both said the expected– they wanted all the smoke and the best available challenges. But what about the division as a whole?

Here’s a look at where 135 stands at the moment.

Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko

The cock of the walk at lightweight– from both a commercial and competitive standpoint– is Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Even with critics picking through pay-per-view buy rate rumors and straining their brains to diminish his body of work, the 29-year-old is a star. He’s, by far, the biggest and most bankable star in the division and, because of that, he’s been conducting his boxing business in a Canelo Alvarez fashion, picking challenges to his liking. His recent inside-the-distance win over legit Top 5 Frank Martin was impressive. A dominant win in a rumored clash with current IBF lightweight titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko would be much bigger.

Lomachenko is the second biggest star and power player in the division and, as stated above, appears to be tied to a possible Tank Davis clash. Loma-Tank would be the rarest of cash-out fights by Lomachenko promoter Bob Arum, one where Arum’s promotional company Top Rank seems to be willing to lose an asset in an outside-the-house event. The money may be big enough to accept that risk, though, and Lomachenko, at 36, may be close enough to the end of his run for such a cash-out to represent the right calculated choice.

If Loma-Tank doesn’t happen, we may possibly see Lomachenko in a stay busy fight or matched against Shakur Stevenson if Stevenson re-signs with Top Rank.

Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda

Stevenson, as everyone has to know by now, just fought in the final bout of his Top Rank contract and seems intent on hitting free agency with an eye on the kind of legacy fights Arum and Co. weren’t able to provide him. If money and legacy are primary concerns, a Tank Davis bout as a free agent would clearly be the top target.

The 27-year-old, however, may have a tough time getting the kind of money he surely wants. His well-earned reputation as a less-than-fan-friendly watch has been accentuated by his own recent uninspired performances and a Top Rank publicity machine that seems to have soured on him altogether. In his bout with Harutyunyan Saturday night, ESPN cut to Stevenson’s hometown fans leaving Newark’s Prudential Center before the final round of the contest.

Talent-wise, though, Stevenson is top notch and has to be included among the elite of the division. The problem is that, if he can’t establish himself as a bankable draw, there’s no incentive in taking on the risk he presents.

Mexico’s William Zepeda is just outside the Top 3 of the division and destined for a title opportunity soon. Given his outsider status as a Golden Boy contract player and the stylistic risk he represents, though, this feels like one of those situations where a sanctioning body decides to invent an “interim” or “regular” title with which to appease Zepeda and Golden Boy. If that doesn’t happen, the easiest title shot to grab at (and win) would be against WBO titlist Denis Berinchyk, who took the vacant strap via split decision over Emanuel Navarrete this past May. Zepeda, himself, immediately mentioned Berinchyk in his post-fight interview when asked about his immediate title plans.

The Best of the Rest

Berinchyk looks to be a placeholder champion at the moment and if Zepeda can’t wrangle a title shot, top prospect Keyshawn Davis, who was victorious on the Stevenson-Harutyunyan undercard Saturday night and is currently ranked no. 3 by the organization, may be moved in to take the title.

Outside of the current top tier, Frank Martin deserves a high placement. He performed well against Tank Davis, up until the very end, and holds solid wins over Michel Rivera and Harutyunyan. Raymond Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev deserve recognition. Former 3-belt champ George Kambosos Jr. has also earned a spot high atop the “next best” list and could possibly be brought in as a “name” challenger down the road for someone like Stevenson or Davis. 21-year-old prospect Floyd Schofield is rising fast and may be in the mix sooner rather than later.

As of right now, though, the lightweight division is basically ruled by a four-man elite class of Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, and William Zepeda with a solid core of young talent coming up behind them. The good news is that it looks like we might get at least a couple of best vs. best showdowns before everyone moves on.