>is the long game. They want that fight when Shak is 26-27.
>How you think it would shake out if they fought today?


That one's hard to call. Decision favors Shakur but stoppage favors Tank, of course.
When Floyd and Ellerbe say Tank has skills that he hasn't had to show, they're telling the truth there. A good example is the Jesus Cuellar fight. Tank looked the sharpest I've ever seen him in that fight, but the opponent was low level. Tank's power would keep Shakur honest, but Shakur is a really safe fighter, probably owing to him being mentored by Andre Ward. Ward is BIG on not taking punishment (but so is Floyd). He also spars with Terence Crawford. Dude has an all-star big brother team. Stevenson would also have a height advantage even though he's slightly smaller, and he's great at fighting at distance. This is a far cry of Leo Santa Cruz lol.
Tank would have to create a fight in the pocket (probably Stevenson's weakest spot currently). I just don't think Stevenson would give him many openings with them both being southpaws. Tank would have to be able to walk through Shakur's punches or completely slip his offense, which would be hard with Shakur being so accurate and rarely getting hit.
In the end, if Tank isn't able to stop Shakur, I see fatigue working in Shakur's favor because it takes a lot of energy to jump in and out of the pocket, and Shakur can fight at distance all night. He does it routinely. Who knows though, Tank's pressure could tire him out. A lot of variables with two guys this talented.
No mattter how it went, it would bring out the best in both of them.