William Zepeda says he doesn’t believe that Shakur Stevenson is going to stand and trade punches with him this Saturday, July 12th, in Queens, New York, live on DAZN PPV.
Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) has been telling the media that he’s going to stand and fight, but Zepeda doesn’t believe it. He feels he’s going to run like he always does when he gets hit.
Zepeda Doubts Shakur Trading
“No, I don’t believe that. He said that in other fights. He said that before, but once he feels the pressure, the combinations, the body work, he’s going to come back to what he always does,” said William Zepeda to Ring Magazine’s YouTube channel when asked if he believes Shakur Stevenson will trade punches with him on Saturday.
Zepeda is right. Shakur will run once he starts getting hit with combinations and body shots. He’s not physically strong enough, and his work rate is too low to stand and fight Zepeda.
What Stevenson did at 126 and 130 in fights against fighters like Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez is irrelevant; he can’t do it at lightweight. The fighters are bigger, hit harder, and they’re not washed up like the guys that Stevenson beat in those weight classes.
Zepeda Prepared For Stevenson Movement
“We worked on Shakur Stevenson’s style. We know he’s a great counter-puncher. We know he has a great ring IQ, and he moves around. I’m not going off what he’s saying. We prepared for the styles that Shakur brings to the table,” said Zepeda.
The two fights against Tevin Farmer gave Zepeda excellent preparation for what he’ll be dealing with against Shakur. Farmer is actually stronger, hits harder, and a lot tougher than Stevenson. A lot of fans doubt Zepeda’s chances of winning due to the tough time he had against Tevin, but that guy is a tougher fighter than Stevenson.
“It does add to the fuel, but we believe the fight came at the right moment, the right purse, the right age, my maturity, and everything,” said Zepeda when told that Stevenson has said that he ducked him. “We know it’s between me and him now to give the fans what they want to see.”
Whether Zepeda avoided Stevenson or not, it’s irrelevant now. He’s fighting him on Saturday, and if Shakur assumes that Zepeda won’t throw punches out of fear of him, he’s going to be in shock when he comes to fight.
Life-Changing Zepeda Stevenson Win
“If I can beat somebody like Shakur, it’s going to change my life, change my family’s life, and this is what we worked for. It would be a dream come true,” said Zepeda to beat Shakur.
Beating Shakur will likely result in Zepeda being invited back on Turki Alalshikh’s future Riyadh Season events, pay well, and possibly lead to a unification clash against lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. That’s the fight that Stevenson has been chasing since he moved up to the lightweight division in 2023.