William Zepeda’s chances of achieving a knockout over WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson shot through the roof last night for their fight, after the remark of Turki Alalshikh last night about the support of fights that fighters do not want to feed.
Zepeda ko chances are rising
Turki did not specifically evict Shakur (23-0, 11 COs), but his remark about the non-will of fighters running just around the ring on his cards was a statement of intent. Stevenson should stay in the bag next month and hit Zepeda if he knows what is good for him.
It will be difficult for Newark, New Jersey native Shakur, to be quiet for a moment against Zepeda without being overwhelmed by bumps. He has never been known for having a high punch production, and he goes against a fighter with the highest production in the lightweight division in Zepeda.
Stevenson will not last five rounds against the Mexican knockout artist if he does not run. He was not built to mix it against fighters with offensive talent such as Zepeda or someone in the lightweight section.
After seeing Alalshikh’s Richtly, Shakur probably tells himself that he will stay in the trenches and snail with Zepeda. Yet, when he comes to the ring on July 12, he will probably fight as he always does.
This means that Shakur will throw one punch, and it starts to run. We will see this pattern the whole battle, and yes, there will be constant Boo of the fans in New York. They expect to be entertained for their money, and they will not tolerate twelve rounds from Shakur.
The movement used by Devin Haney on May 2 in his very criticized performance against Jose Ramirez is nothing compared to what Shakur did in his fight against Edwin de Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathilia.
No more running allowed
‘From this point, I no longer want to see Tom and Jerry Boks matches where one fighter runs around the ring and the other chases him. We can support these kinds of battles longer, ‘Turki Alalshikh told X.
In Stevenson’s last fight against part -time boxer Josh Padley in February last year, he even moved a lot against him, and he has no power to talk about.
Padley was a British fighter at the domestic level who recommended promoter Eddie Hearn as the substitute opponent. He was not the original choice. Stevenson had to be able to stand in the middle of the ring and kill him, but he was also on the flight.
Hearn promotes Shakur, and they passed on with unbeaten Cuban contender Herrera Cores (17-0, 15 costs) as the replacement opponent. He is on #6 WBC, and is very dangerous.
Last updated on 06/11/2025
