Shakur Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, wants to defend against unbeaten phenom William Zepeda after witnessing his destruction of Maxi Hughes last Saturday night.
Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) called out Stevenson after obliterating Hughes (26-7-2, 5 KOs) in four rounds in an IBF/WBA lightweight title eliminator at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“How Good is this Guy?”
Stevenson is skeptical about Zepeda’s talent, and for good reason. He’s not fought anyone on his level during his professional career, and he was getting hit last night by the British fighter Hughes.
“How good is Zepeda? 🤔 I’m excited. Let’s make Stevenson-Zepeda next, please,” said Shakur on X, expressing his interest in fighting William Zepeda next.
Zepeda could be a nightmare for Shakur, who fell apart against Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez in the 2016 Olympic finals, losing a decision. Shakur didn’t look good in his last fight against the heavy-handed counter-puncher Edwin De Los Santos last November, fighting defensively and winning a questionable decision.
Zepeda is viewed as De Los Santos 2.0, but better and more aggressive. If Shakur stands his ground against Zepeda, he’ll likely end up in the same boat as Hughes and Mercito Gesta. If Shakur runs, he’ll be booed, and he may still lose.
Although Zepeda isn’t mandatory for Shakur’s WBC title, he still wants him next, likely because it’s the fastest way to fight for a world title. Shakur is fearless and will fight anyone, so it’s not surprising that he’s already accepted the challenge from Zepeda.
The Date is Set
Stevenson’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank is reportedly willing to make the fight with Zepeda next for July 6th, and he wants De La Hoya to contact him to begin discussions for the clash, which would take place at the 16,755-seat Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
If the promoters can get the Stevenson vs. Zepeda fight made, it’ll attract a lot of attention, and the winner will be in an excellent position to battle the Vasily Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos Jr. contest winner in a unification bout.
