Zepeda vs. Stevenson: Will Shakur Run or Stand His Ground Against Mexican KO Artist?

William Zepeda says beating WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson will “open doors” for him on 12th. Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) believes his volume punching and body shots will be too much for Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) to withstand in their 12-round chief support fight on DAZN PPV at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

Shakur hasn’t fought anyone with Zepeda’s offensive ability, and he’s been plagued with hand injuries since moving up to the 135-lb division in 2023. As such, he’s not able to use what little power he has, as his chronic hand problems prevent him.

Alalshikh Demands Action Fight

Turki Alalshikh wants the July 12th event to have nonstop action, but Shakur would be dooming himself to defeat if he doesn’t run from Zepeda. He’s not built for the type of war that the Mexican knockout artist will bring. He’ll be chewed apart within six rounds if he stands his ground and has a dog fight.

“This fight is something I’ve been looking for years, something I’ve been waiting for, and it’s coming at a good time. It’s going to be a very demanding fight. Winning against Shakur will open more doors for me. I could also face bigger fights,” said William Zepeda to DAZN Boxing, discussing his fight against Shakur Stevenson.

Turki Alalshikh said this week that he wants to match Sepeda against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in November on a loaded card. That likely assumes that Zepeda dethrones Shakur on July 12th, making him the new WBC lightweight champion.

Stevenson will yap nonstop if he loses to Zepeda and will beg Turki to set up an immediate rematch. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, will also campaign for the second fight, and he’d be worthless to him without avenging the loss. One of the reasons Hearn signed Shakur was to maneuver him into the mega-fight against Gervonta Davis.

Zepeda’s Volume Punching Plan

“Obviously, Shakur is the toughest opponent I’ve faced. We know his qualities. All his technical aspects, his footwork, and experience. I believe the qualities that will help me are mainly my volume punching and my body work,” said Zepeda.

I disagree that Shakur is Zepeda’s “toughest opponent.” Tevin Farmer was far tougher. He stood in the pocket and went to war with Zepeda during portions of both of their two fights. Granted, Farmer was forced to move and hold to keep from being knocked out, but he still traded a lot. Stevenson could never fight the way Farmer fought without getting stopped.