Shakur Stevenson says William Zepeda and his team had been ducking him and that he’s finally “trapped him” for their fight on July 12th in Queens, New York. Stevenson states that Zepeda’s team knew what kind of “special talent’ he is. So, they weren’t going to let Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) fight him until now.
Zepeda is by far the best fighter Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) will have faced, and there’s a chance he’ll expose him. Stevenson came close to losing his fight with Edwin De Los Santos in 2023, and was lucky the three judges gave him credit for the weak shots that were landing.
Zepeda’s Power Threat
Zepeda has good power, and his body punching and high volume make him a real threat to Stevenson. It’s a fight that WBC lightweight champion Shakur cannot win by standing in the pocket. He has to move to keep from getting overwhelmed with punches.
“Here’s the thing, when I say, ‘He’s ducking me.’ It don’t just be the fighter. The fighter has a team and people around them that stops fights from happening,” said Shakur Stevenson to DAZN Boxing about his belief that William Zepeda and his team have been ducking him. “So, I’m not going to say specifically it was William Zepeda.
Stevenson had nothing going for him until Turki Alalshikh took an interest in him and began using him for his events. So, fighters like Zepeda, Vasily Lomachenko, and Gervonta Davis saw no point in fighting him because there was no money in a clash against him. Stevenson doesn’t engage with his opponents. So, that was another reason why Zepeda and his team saw no point in fighting him.
“I’m going to say it was William Zepeda’s team, and everyone around them that know how good I am and how special of a talent that I am that didn’t want the fight to happen and have been ducking me. They have been ducking me, but we got him,” said Stevenson.
A big part of why Zepeda and his team weren’t in a hurry to fight Shakur is that he was not popular, and the criticism he took for running all night in his fight against Edwin De Los Santos in 2023. That performance by Stevenson turned off a lot of fighters, because they didn’t have to deal with a runner and the boos from the crowd. In Shakur’s fight against De Los Santos, both were being booed. Stevenson for running, and De Los Santos for his inability to catch him.
Stevenson’s Confidence: A Trap?
“We trapped him, and on July 12th, I’m coming there to put my best performance of my life,” said Shakur.
Stevenson is going to look silly if he loses to Zepeda, because he sounds so confident heading into their fight on July 12th. He doesn’t have the offensive skills or the power to match what Zepeda is going to be throwing at him. It’s almost a given that Shakur is going to be running all night, and there will be a lot of boos becauuse is going to be fought in a stadium.
Interestingly, Shakur isn’t trying to trap his #1 WBC challenger, Andy Cruz, the way he’s been pushing for Zepeda. He never mentions the 2020 Olympic gold medalist, Cruz’s name, which can only mean he sees him as a threat to his reign and will avoid him at all costs.
Last Updated on 07/02/2025
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