WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson fired back at Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya in reaction to his social media post questioning whether he’ll want to fight his #1 ranked contender, William Zepeda, next.
“We will see if Shakur Stevenson still wants the smoke after William Zepeda fights this Saturday at Cosmopolitan Las @DAZNBoxing,” said De La Hoya on X.
Shakur (21-0, 10s) dismissed Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs) as a serious threat, saying he’ll “pick” him apart whenever De La Hoya is ready to make that fight.
Stevenson’s promoters at Top Rank haven’t revealed who he’ll be fighting next when he returns to the ring on July 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. There’s no word yet who Shakur will be fighting, but it’s important that his promoters stop babying him and put him in with some of the killers at 135, like Zepeda, Andy Cruz or Raymond Muratalla.
Zepeda will headline the 12-round main event at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas this Saturday, March 16th, against Maxi Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) live on DAZN.
If Zepeda wins that fight, he’ll be ready to challenge for a world title. Shakur, a fighter with no power and a defensive-oriented style, would be perfect for him.
Stevenson Fires Back
“Don’t threaten me with a good time. I’m ready to pick your killer apart whenever he ready lol,” said Shakur on X, reacting to De La Hoya’s challenge for him to face Zepeda.
Shakur’s promoters may choose to keep him away from Zepeda because he’s a high-volume, hard-hitting pressure fighter who cuts off the ring well, and would outwork him.
Most fans would agree that Stevenson was lucky not to lose his last fight against Edwin De Los Santos last November. If not for Shakur being the A-side in that fight, he would have lost, given that De Los Santos pressured him the entire contest and landed the much harder punches.