Shakur Stevenson got worked up after reading William Zepeda’s comments about how he’s focused on knocking him out on July 12th at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The event will be broadcast on DAZN PPV.
Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) has been matched weakly by his promoters in the last two years since his horrible performance against Edwin De Los Santos in 2023, and he’s not accustomed to his opponents coming into the fight with a mindset of wanting to knock him out. Shakur still doesn’t realize that he’s not as good as he thinks he is.
Turki’s Event: Zepeda’s Big Shot
With Shakur being matched against Josh Padley and Artem Harutyunyan, two weak punchers, it’s a shock that he’s fighting Zepeda, a genuine knockout artist, with the intent of stopping him next month.
What’s going to make Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) fight even harder is that it’s an event put on by Turki Alalhikh. Zepeda knows that if he wins, he can make a lot of money in Turki’s future fight cards.
“‘My mindset is a stoppage. Maybe it could be in the tenth round, or maybe it could be earlier, or maybe a little later. But I know, I have to get the stoppage,’” said Shakur Stevenon to Ring Magazine on X, reading what William Zepeda had said about his plans for their fight next month on July 12th.
Zepeda is right to be predicting a knockout in this fight, because he knows he stands little chance of winning a decision if it goes the distance. Shakur is the A-side in this fight, backed by Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn and Turki Alalashikh, with their big plans for him. The Mexican brawler Zepeda is being used as a stepping stone for Shakur and Hearn to get the money fight against Gervonta Davis.
Shakur’s Ego Challenged by Zepeda
“That’s bulls***. If you didn’t stop the last opponent [Tevin Farmer] you went in there with, what the f*** makes you think you’re going to stop me?” said Shakur. “That s*** sounds stupid. You’re just talking. I know he’s just talking. He’s been in there with me before. He knows,” said Shakur.
Stevenson is arguably a step down for Zepeda from his last opponent, Tevin Farmer. The former IBF super featherweight champion Farmer punches harder, with a better chin, and a lot tougher with his ability to stay in the pocket during long stretches in his two fight against Zepeda.
The reason Zepeda couldn’t knock out Farmer is that he went into a defensive shell after coming close to being stopped in their rematch. Farmer got on his bike after the sixth and did a lot of moving and holding to nullify Zepeda’s volume punching. The downside for Farmer is that he gave up his chances of winning.
Last Updated on 06/23/2025
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