William Zepeda says he converts “into an animal” when he’s in the ring, and he plans on bringing that out when he challenges Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title in eight days on July 12th in Queens, New York. It’s WBC interim 135-lb champion Zepeda’s biggest fight of his 10-year pro career, and he plans on making the most of it.
Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) has made light of the fight, letting boxing fans know it’s just in the park for him to go up against Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs). However, given how much Shakur has talked about wanting to fight him for the last two years, it’s clear that he recognizes this as a risky fight for him. Shakur knows he doesn’t have the offensive talent to match Zepeda.
Shakur’s Glass Hands
That part of Stevenson’s game is missing, and his glass hands put him at even more of a disadvantage. His path to victory is to use the amateur point scoring method to try to win a decision, provided the judges ignore the higher output and harder punches from Zepeda. If the judges score the fight as a professional contest, Stevenson will likely lose because his shots will be far fewer and weaker than Zepeda’s in every round.
“That’s something people know me as. I’m very calm. Inside the ring, I convert into an animal,” said William Zepeda to DAZN Boxing about how he changes from a mild-mannered person outside the ring into a ferocious beast inside it. “I like to exchange. I love to fight.”
Zepeda is not the type of opponent that Shakur is accustomed to fighting. He’s been feasting on low-output fighters who load up on single shots for his entire eight-year professional career.
Zepeda’s high punch volume offense could overwhelm Shakur, especially in an 18×18-foot ring on July 12th. It’s going to be a shock to his system fighting the Mexican knockout artist in a smaller ring, and with a lot of pressure being put on him not to run.
Small Ring, Big Problem
– Absence of power
– Low output
– Not accustomed to brawling
– 18-foot ring
“I know it’s hard to be a fighter who throws a lot of punches. I know it’s difficult to beat me,” said Zepeda.
It’s going to be very difficult for the low-punch output Shakur to beat Zepeda, because even when he’s healthy with two operational hands, he’s never shown the ability to throw a lot of shots as a pro.
Stevenson, 27, comes from the old Mayweather mold of throwing potshots, moving a lot, and holding when his opponents get near. It’s effective but boring to watch. That style has worked for Shakur thus far, but his opposition has largely been middle-of-the-road type fighters.
Despite winning three division world titles, Shakur hasn’t fought A-level or elite-level fighters. The opposition he’s faced has been guys like Josh Padley, also known as ‘The Electrician,’ Artem Harutyunyan, Joet Gonzalez, and Shuichiro Yoshino. Shakur’s record is 100% built-up fluff, showing that he’s a laboratory-created fighter.
Turki’s Call to Fight
Turki Alalshikh’s post on social media about no longer wanting fighters who fail to engage on his Riyadh Season cards was a signal to Shakur Stevenson and others like him that they need to resist their instinct to run and fight if they want to continue being invited to his events.
We’ll see if Stevenson is going to ignore Turki and fight the way he always does or if he’ll heed his message, wanting to please him and earn the millions he’s being paid by out-brawling Zepeda in the pocket. That’s the kind of fight that Turki and the fans want to see from Stevenson on July 12th.
Last Updated on 07/04/2025
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