Teofimo Lopez Says If Shakur Stevenson Boxes Cautiously, Doesn’t Let His Combinations Flow, William Zepeda Fight Is “50/50”
WBC lightweight champ Shakur Stevenson is looking forward to putting on a showcase and a dominant performance when he defends his belt against all-action warrior William Zepeda on July 12, the fight to take place at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. Stevenson, unbeaten at 23-0(11) is one of the best pure boxers in the sport right now, yet the knock on him as far as some critics are concerned is he is “boring,” that he is content to cruise to a decision win when he steps into the ring.
Now, going up against Zepeda, 33-0(27), a fighter who regularly throws an absolute ton of leather in every round, some experts see a danger of Stevenson being overwhelmed if he doesn’t throw enough punches of his own. One of these concerned experts is Teofimo Lopez.
Will Teo’s warning spark Stevenson’s fire?
Lopez, speaking on a video he put out, said that if Shakur doesn’t let his combinations flow, the fight with Zepeda “could be a 50/50 fight.”
This is interesting. Stevenson might just get the toughest fight of his entire career when he squares off with Zepeda. And maybe, in being pushed harder than he has ever been pushed before, Stevenson will show us all what he’s really made of. Zepeda WILL bring the heat, there is no doubt about that, and it is entirely possible Stevenson will have no choice but to stand his ground and fight back.
Boxer vs. puncher—who claims the night?
They say the boxer always beats the puncher, but Zepeda is a whirlwind aggressor, and he has beaten better boxers than himself before now. Stevenson is the favourite to win on the night of July 12, no doubt about it. But some good judges do not think this will in any way be an easy fight for Shakur. Nor will it be a boring fight.
“Shakur knows how to box fighters like that,” Teo said with regards to Stevenson being able to handle all-out aggressive opposition. “I’m hoping to see Shakur do more combinations. If not, it could be a 50/50 fight.”
We’ll soon see.