Floyd Schofield Sr. says he’s debating whether to attend this Saturday’s Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight on July 12th at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. Schofield Sr. thinks it’s going to be a “boring running match” with Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) on the move, with Zepeda “on his a**.”
Shakur Stevenson’s Hand Injury Concerns
Floyd Sr. predicts that Stevenson will lose if his fragile “pillow hands” don’t hold up, and he’s unable to keep Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) off him with his limited offense. That would be a surprise to the oddsmakers because they have Shakur as the favorite. His fans believe this fight is going to be a walk in the park for Stevenson.
“Who wants to really sit there and watch a running match?” said Floyd Schofield Sr. to MillCity Boxing about the Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight next Saturday, July 12th, in Queens, New York. “We’ll see because I know he’s going to be on his bike all night from Zepeda. So, it’s going to be a boring fight.”
As you can see, Floyd Sr. has no confidence in Shakur trying to make it entertaining on Saturday against Zepeda. He’ll revert to his base instincts and run from him to prevent getting overwhelmed with punches. If that happens, he’s going to be booed out of the Louis Armstrong Stadium by the unforgiving crowd, who will have no patience with watching Shakur use his hit-and-not-get-hit style.
Shakur’s “Pillow Hands” Warning
“Depending on how his hands hold up,” said Floyd Sr. when asked if Shakur will defeat Zepeda. “They call him ‘Pillow hands.’ If those things start [hurting], he’s not going to have a chance to shake [them off] with Zepeda on his a**, like he [Stevenson] was doing with ‘The Electrician’ [Josh Padley].”
If Shakur’s hands don’t hold up under the strain of battle against Zepeda on July 12th, he’s going to be forced to run around the ring. He obviously will resist moving because of Turki Alalshikh’s directive of no Tom and Jerry fights. But if things turn sour for Stevenson and he starts taking too much punishment, he’ll go into survival mode and run.
He won’t stay in the pocket and fight Zepeda until the bitter end. He’ll look to save his hide, because a knockout loss would be a disaster for his career.
“So, I don’t know. It’s going to be a good one for them. I doubt if anyone is going to get knocked out. I studied Shakur since he was a kid. I’m not judging him on Padley. He’s not built like that at all. That’s why he’s trying to avoid Floyd. That’s why what happened with Floyd [became ill last February, causing the cancellation of the fight with Shakur]. That’s why the people in power are trying to avoid Floyd.”
Schofield isn’t the only one his promoters aren’t eager to match him against. This is a short list of fighters that Shakur’s promoters aren’t in a rush for him to fight:
– Raymond Muratalla
– Abdullah Mason
– Andy Cruz
– Jadier Herrera
– Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
Amateur vs. Pro: Shakur’s Flaw
“Shakur isn’t built like that. He’s a good amateur fighter, but good amateurs usually don’t make great professionals because they’re [throwing light shots].”
Schofield Sr. summed up Shakur pretty well with that comment about him being a “good amateur,” but it doesn’t translate to being a “great professional.” Stevenson has gotten by this far due to the matchmaking that’s been done for him since he moved up to 135.
His promoters have kept him away from the talented fighters in the division, like Andy Cruz, Raymond Muratalla, Abdullah Mason, and Keyshawn Davis. Stevenson’s title wins at 126 and 130 were against lesser fighters. None of those guys hold belts in those divisions now.
Last Updated on 07/06/2025
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