Promoter Oscar De La Hoya thinks his fighter, William Zepeda, has plenty of options to choose from, making it clear they won’t be pushed in any direction.
check this out @williamzepeda2 bad ass has four judging panels to choose from. No one will tell him who he has to fight next.
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) July 15, 2024
Oscar’s message on social media comes on the heels of news that the WBC has ordered Shakur Stevenson to defend his lightweight title against ‘Camaron’ Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs). The president of the sanctioning body, Mauricio Sulaimán, expressed his happiness about this meeting. If agreed, it will be a Bull vs Matador clash.
The WBC has ordered a mandatory title defense for our lightweight champion @ShakurStevenson vs @williamzepeda2 We are looking forward to this great game
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) July 15, 2024
Zepeda is currently ranked at the top of the tree by all four sanctioning bodies. WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, Gervonta Davis holds the WBA and Vasyl Lomachenko of the IBF. The latter are expected to fight a unity battle later this year.
Shakur holds the WBC title, and De La Hoya is said to be one of the teams interested in signing Stevenson after he parted ways with Top Rank recently.
Stevenson has previously complained about not wanting to be tied to any particular promotional organization. However, promoters will be reluctant to take him on one-fight deals, knowing that he can go elsewhere after fighting under their banner, taking his star power and gaining power with him.
While Zepeda has options, so does Shakur. He may choose to drop the title rather than face the man he described as “hell of a fighter”. That line is straight out of Floyd Mayweather’s playbook of quotes. Floyd is reportedly another name looking to secure Shakur’s signature. The drama will, no doubt, continue for a while.
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