WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson says he wants to fight No. 1 contender William Zepeda next if he can’t get a rematch between champions Vasily Lomachenko and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Stevenson’s Boldest Move?
That would be a bold move for Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) to take on Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) because he doesn’t have the strength to fight the Mexican talent.
Shakur, 28, couldn’t put up the same fight against Zepeda as he did against his last opponent, Artem Harutyunyan, or in his previous fights with Oscar Valdez or Jamel Herring.
Stevenson would have to stay on tour, using a hit-and-run style in hopes of winning what would likely be a shutout, a potentially controversial decision.
Golden Boy’s strategy
WBA champion Tank and IBF champion Lomachenko are in talks for a potential unification fight in November. He is also not expected to face Shakur in a fight until 2025 at the earliest.
Shakur doesn’t believe that William Zepeda’s promoters at Golden Boy Promotions don’t want to go the WBC route. Stevenson believes they are referring to WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk. However, Zepeda’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, has expressed interest in Zepeda challenging Shakur or Berinchyk for their next titles.
De La Hoya is looking for anyone he can find so that Zepeda can fight for the belt, and he dropped the name of Berinchyk because he is considered to be someone who would be easy to negotiate with,
Top Rank wants to match rising contender Keyshawn Davis against Berinchyk, but it’s unclear if they’re ready to fight next. They can wait until 2025. Keyshawn revealed that he will fight for the world title next year, and Berinchyk is the guy he is targeting. As things stand, Berinchyk will be available to Zepeda if De La Hoya wants to fight Shakur.
Advertising Considerations
“If Tank is going to fight Lomachenko, why wouldn’t I fight more, maybe a tough fight, we don’t know,” Shakur Stevenson said on the Cigar Talk forum about his interest in fighting the No. 1 ranked contender. Next up is William Zepeda if he can’t fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis or Vasily Lomachenko next.
“Probably a tough fight just because of William Zepeda’s volume and how many punches he throws. But where are you?”
It would be a tough fight for Shakur against Zepeda because he is a better fighter than his recent opponents, Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos, and he will have to be on his bike for the entire twelve rounds to avoid being chewed out.
“I think they are looking for another fight where they can win the belt, Berinchyk,” Shakur said of his belief that Golden Boy Promotions wants William Zepeda to challenge Denys Berinchyk for his WBO lightweight title instead. “They don’t want this belt. They don’t want the WBC belt.”
Some fans feel that De La Hoya has been throwing Shakur’s name around Zepeda in order to get cheap attention for his fighter and increase his popularity among the fans but has no real desire to make that fight happen due to the risks involved.
Source link
