William Zepeda says he believes that he does not respect Shakur Stevenson by WBC lightweight champion Shakur, when he lifted his finger at him during their face weighing today. Zepeda (33-0, 27 costs) mentions that he will pay Stevenson (23-0, 11 COs) for his indifference by picking him up on Saturday, July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
De la hoya’s fighting plan
Promotor Oscar de La Hoya noted that Shakur, 28) “Small soft” around the midsection today. He wants Zepeda to target Stevenson’s body on Saturday as his most important attacking point, as it is an area where he is vulnerable during his career.
Target Shakur’s body
- Attack the body: Shakur cannot move his body to avoid shots as he can with his head. He did not fight anyone near the level of Zepeda in body spons. Stevenson fought his entire career against Headhunters.
- Punch with Shakur: De la Hoya says Stevenson will move and throw exclusive potshots. He will be vulnerable to Zepeda if he stops throwing his single shot. That’s when Zepeda could hit him, and then closed the distance to tear shots at the body to take away Stevenson’s legs. Runners cannot move if they are hit hard to the bread basket.
The most important problem for Zepeda is close enough to land to land. As we saw with Stevenson’s fights in the past, he refuses to stand still and will literally jump off the canvas to escape when he is trapped.
When he fought good opposition during his career, Shakur was in pure running mode and he stopped just a moment to throw a single punch. It is awful to look at, but it was effective against the mostly opposition at B level that Stevenson faced. He has never fought an A-level or an elite level fighter.
Zepeda-Stevenson Weigh-in disrespect
“I respect everyone. I raised a finger at me. This is respect. Tomorrow we are going to raise the receipts to you, ‘said William Zepeda during today’s today weigh-in.
Shakur tried to punk Zepeda by putting his finger in his face, dancing and then standing in front of him to prevent the media from seeing him on stage. It was typical things of Shakur to respect his opponents and give the appearance of false confidence.
Shakur Stevenson: Runner Label?
Inwardly, Stevenson is pure jelly, weak and worried, because he knows that if he fights against his battle at the Jerry level, he is mocked, and it will confirm that he is a runner. If he stands and fights as he did against his late replacement, Josh Padley, he will be destroyed by Zepeda within six rounds. So there is no choice but for Stevenson to move all night and go with the evil.
“I’m prepared; I’m ready. I try to stay stuck in the present. I’m not worried about tomorrow. I am co-self-assured because I put the work in. This is my fate. These people can’t take anything away from me. Jerry is going to kick Tom’s s **. Just look, ‘says Shakur Stevenson at the weighing.
“William Zepeda all day, all week, all week. The work ethic is incredible. Zepeda has the ability and the punch output to keep Shakur on his toes. Aim for the body. Shakur is a little soft,” said promoter Oscar de la Hoya.
“Zepeda is an expert to cut off the ring. The closure of the distance is going to be difficult. Zepeda throws a 1000 strokes, but it will be difficult for him to come to Shakur,” says Sergio Mora.
Last updated on 07/11/2025
