William Zepeda’s pressure will force Shakur to fight, Farmer says

Tevin Farmer says Shakur Stevenson will actually have to “fight” William Zepeda to win because he throws too many punches for him to avoid everyone.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur will fight Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) in 2025, provided he wins his title defense against Floyd Schofield on February 22 in Riyadh. Shakur is confident he will defeat Zepeda, but Farmer has his doubts.

Zepeda’s Volume Punching

He obviously knows that the hit-and-kick style that Stevenson uses won’t keep Zepeda off him, as he cuts off the ring well, and he’s willing to take shots to land his. Shakur has no strength at all, and he won’t be able to escape Zepeda without running.

It’s not going to work. He’s going to look bad in front of Turki Alalshikh if ​​he tries that tactic against Zepeda in Riyadh.

With Zepeda’s high volume output of 100+ punches per round, Farmer states that Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) will have to fight him like he did in their clash last month on November 16th. Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) tried to defend against Zepeda’s numerous shots, but it was to no avail.

Former IBF super featherweight champion Farmer was forced to fight him, and he couldn’t keep up, especially in the championship rounds.

Zepeda carried Farmer with his body punch and volume to win a 10-round split decision. The scores were 95-95, 95-94 for Zepeda, and 95-94 for Farmer. I watched the fight and I had Zepeda win 8-2. It appeared the judges working the fight did not take into account the numerous body shots Zepeda landed in each round. They only looked at headers, which Farmer focused on.

Had this been a 12-round contest, he would have knocked Farmer out as the 34-year-old was exhausted by the ninth round and would not have been able to go the full twelve rounds without being stopped.

“Golden Boy is willing to make it. The only way the rematch doesn’t happen is if Zepeda’s team says no,” Tevin Farmer told the Cigar talk channel about the rematch he wants against William Zepeda after losing to him on November 16th.

“Golden Boy wants to make the rematch. I’m not saying nobody told me anything. I say Golden Boy wants to make the rematch. I’m pretty sure Turki wants to make it. It was a hell of a fight.

“You have to make Zepeda respect you because if you don’t, he’s going to keep moving forward,” Farmer said when asked how Shakur Stevenson would fare against William Zepeda.

Boer’s hope for a rematch with Zepeda is wishful thinking, as Golden Boy is not going to push for that fight. They know that the money fight, the one Zepeda needs and wants, is against Shakur. Boer has nothing to offer Zepeda. He is not a champion and has lost his last two fights.

Boer has to move back to super featherweight because he doesn’t have the power to beat the lightweights. If he stays in the 135-lb weight class, he will continue to lose and be forced out of the game.

Shakur warned of Zepeda

“Zepeda is a pressure fighter, and he didn’t throw that many punches; it’s easy to pick someone apart like that,” Farmer said. “It’s easy to pick someone out who comes forward and doesn’t throw as many punches. When someone comes forward and throws that many punches, how many punches can you make someone miss, even with my defense?

“I’m one of the best defensive fighters. I can stand there and not get hit if I want to. I know I can’t do that because how many strokes can I slide? Yes, Shakur is going to have to fight (Zepeda). Shakur is one of the best in the world to me, but he’s going to have to fight,” Farmer said.

Zepeda forced Farmer to fight him as he was cutting off the ring and pinned him against the ropes. It was either Boer who had to fight, or he would have been knocked out by Zepeda. It will be the same with Shakur. He doesn’t have the strength, toughness or courage that Farmer has. There is no way Stevenson could take the kind of shots Farmer did against Zepeda without getting knocked out or running and holding.

“I’m not saying he should do what I did. I am built differently. I have a chin, I can deliver, and I can do it all. I’m not saying he (Shakur) does, but he’s going to have to fight,” Farmer said of how he’s better than Stevenson because he’ll actually stand in the pocket and be willing to trade.

“I feel like I should have gotten the win. On the tee it was icing on the cake for me to edge it out. Everyone has their opinion, but I don’t care,” Farmer said of his belief that he did enough to deserve a win against Zepeda.