Shakur Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, told DAZN tonight that he would be interested in defending against his No. 1 contender, William Zepeda, next.
The undefeated Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) says he thinks Zepeda’s fighting style will bring out his best. However, he said he has not yet decided who he will sign with next as a free agent.
De La Hoya Sets the Conditions
Zepeda’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, wrote on social media that he will only fight Shakur if he signs with Golden Boy Promotions. If that’s true, Shakur has only one option if he wants to fight Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), and that’s to sign with Oscar.
“He throws a lot of punches; she is beautiful in her style. But a guy like that can bring out the best in me,” Shakur said on DAZN about Zepeda.
That would be an uphill battle for Shakur. He can’t fight Zepeda like he did Artem Harutyunyan last Saturday night because he punches too hard and throws too many punches. Zepeda will not run around the ring like Harutyunyan did; if Shakur tries to hit him, it won’t end well for him.
Zepeda throws shots without breaking a sweat, and he would cut Shakur down like he did Giovanni Cabrera and Maxi Hughes. Shakur comes from the same outfit as those fighters in terms of strength and finesse-oriented.
If Shakur fights Zepeda, he will have to rock all night like he did against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathilia to win. It would be boring for fans, and Shakur’s popularity would continue to decline.
Stevenson may not win a decision against Zepeda unless the judges justify his reluctance to fight. They were in the fight against De Los Santos, but he might not be so lucky against Zepeda because his fearful nature would be more visible to him.
Advertising Considerations
Stevenson has been full of praise for promoter Eddie Hearn this week, with some believing that this is where he would get inked with Matchroom Boxing. Hearn doesn’t have a deep stable at 135. Indeed, the only fighter Hearn could give Shakur a shot at lightweight is 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who is a pure boxer.
He’s not well known, and Shakur won’t make a gold mine against him. He might lose to him because he is a skilled player with a similar defensive style.
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