Why Shakur Stevenson’s Defensive Style May Fail Against Aggressive William Zepeda

Shakur Stevenson says he’s going to “make a statement” against William Zepeda in their undercard fight next month on July 12th in Queens, New York. Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) appears to be annoyed by his followers on X dismissing his talent, predicting he’s going to lose to Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs).

Fans Doubt Shakur’s Talent

No one is taking Shakur seriously because they’ve watched his fights and view him as physically weak and not designed to compete at the highest rungs at 135. Stevenson’s element was when he was competing at featherweight, and his lack of power wasn’t a problem.

“F*** what y’all talking bout, July 12th I’m coming to make a statement!! Let’s get it 🦾😤” said Shakur Stevenson on X about his title defense against William Zepeda.

That sounds like Stevenson’s ego is warped from his promoters feeding him Josh Padley, Artem Harutyunyan, and Shuichiro Yoshino. They’ve been babying Shakur, and it’s made him think he can walk on water.

That’s the problem with promoters who want to create fake fighters for marketing purposes. They create narcissists who believe they’re good, and then push for their promoters to put them against fighters that they’re not capable of beating. It’s the Milli Vanilli syndrome. Shakur is a perfect example

“I think it’s the perfect style. He drowns people. He puts people in fights they don’t want to be in, and I’m going to give him something he’s not ready for,” said Shakur Stevenson to talkSport Boxing. “The things I heard was fighting Tank,” said Shakur when asked if he heard from Turki Alalshikh where a win over Zepeda will take him.”

Zepeda: Style Clash for Shakur

I wouldn’t call Zepeda’s style the “perfect” one for a light-hitter with glass hands like Shakur. That’s the worst style for someone who lacks offense and is basically just a defensive mover. We saw Zepeda twice beat a better version of Shakur in his two fights againt Tevin Farmer. He fights a lot like Shakur, but with more power and a better chin.

Farmer couldn’t slow Zepeda down, and was forced to move and hold to survive. In their rematch, Farmer looked like he was quitting when he turned his back twice in the early rounds when he was getting hammered. It looked like Farmer was quitting. If he couldn’t handle Zepeda’s firepower without holding and running, Stevenson won’t either

“I guess if Tank wins his fight [Lamont Roach rematch], and I win my fight against Zepeda, it’s me vs. Tank,” said Stevenson.

Whoever planted the idea into Shakur’s head that a fight against Tank is next, they told him wrong. That fight is not guaranteed. The only way it happens is if Davis is offered boatloads of money, and it’s questionable whether Turki Alalshikh would want to do that. Shakur isn’t popular enough for it to be worthwhile.

Tank Davis Fight Hopes

“Because he’s the A-side, he’s the superstar. I’m a superstar too, but he’s the PPV superstar. Then he’s in the position to say who he will and who he will not fight,” said Shakur about why he’s never gotten the fight against Tank.

“I guess I’m one of the names of somebody he will not fight. So, hopefully, we can lock him in and trap him into a spot where he’s got no choice. Because I’m the best,” said Shakur when asked why he thinks that Tank Davis doesn’t want to fight him.

Gervonta isn’t afraid of Stevenson. Up unttil now, there has been zero reason for the Baltimore native to fight someone like him. Shakur has never been popular, and his fights are horribly boring. Although he brags about being the best, his performances don’t live up to that, and he’s still not a pay-per-view fighter. He fights on undercards.

Stevenson is another egocentric, similar to Keyshawn Davis. He doesn’t like fighting guys who move nonstop, and will try to win by doing the minimum. Shakur will try to edge rounds by hitting and then stepping back 3 to 6 feet to avoid getting hit.

Tank doesn’t see any need to fight someone he’ll need to chase around, because he can make good money fighting guys that will stand their ground. It makes sense. Why fight Stevenson when he can take on others who will come to fight?

“I think he likes fights where he knows he’s going to win. I think that was his downfall in his last fight. He was too confident, and he felt like he had an easy hit. I think I’m levels above him,” said Shakir about Gervonta.

Shakur may never get a chance to fight Tank Davis, because there’s a strong possibility that he’s going to lose to Zepeda next month. We saw how bad Stevenson performed in his fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremia Nakathila.

He was on the run the full 12 rounds in both fights, and booed heavily by fans. Those two fights showed that Stevenson isn’t cut out for competing against punchers. Zepeda can punch, throws a lot of shots, and isn’t afraid to walk through fire.