Forced Engagement: Shakur Stevenson’s Hit-and-Run Tactics Challenged by 18-Foot Ring vs. Zepeda

The change to an 18-foot ring for the July 12th card has created doubt among fans whether Shakur Stevenson will have enough space to escape William Zepeda’s 100+ punches per round volume in their co-feature fight.

No Escape for Shakur

Shakur’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, can’t be happy bout the switch from the standard 20-foot ring to a smaller 18 x 18 one. He signed him with the hope of landing the mega-money fight against Gervonta Davis.

Hearn matched Stevenson against Josh Padley in his first fight with Matchroom to ensure he stays on the path to the Tank fight. In a smaller ring against a punching machine like Zepeda, Shakur is being thrown into the wild. He’s not made for the fighting that Zepeda brings.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) is at his best in a 20-foot ring where he can avoid pressure from his opponents by using his hit-and-run tactics. In a smaller 18 x 18 ring, it’s going to force Shakur to engage more and avoid his usual Tom and Jerry-type fights.

Zepeda is excellent at cutting off the ring, but his chances would drop against a mover like Stevenson in a 20-foot ring. We saw how Shakur was diving to escape the pressure put on him by Edwin De Los Santos.

Turki’s Entertainment Goal

Turki Alalshikh wants the fights on the July 12th DAZN PPV card to be entertaining. Moving it to a smaller ring will force the runners like Shakur to stand and fight Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs), which he may not be able to do without getting beaten down. In a confined space of an 18-foot ring, Stevenson will have no choice but to trade more with the Mexican knockout artist.

It was like he was a rocket launching into space, the way he was leaping to squirm out of situations when trapped. It wasn’t surprising that the crowd booed him all night for his boring performance.

Zepeda Doubts Shakur’s “Balls”

Zepeda doubts that Shakur will trade with him the way Tevin Farmer did in their two fights, saying he lacks the “balls” to fight aggressively. Even Farmer did a lot of moving and holding to avoid getting knocked out by Zepeda. The second fight was almost all moving and holding.

A 16-foot ring would have been even better for the July 12th event, as it would force Shakur to trade more with Zepeda to give fans a more entertaining fight. Even with an 18-footer, Stevenson might still have enough room to make it a dull fight for fans.