There are plenty who think Shakur Stevenson versus William Zepeda is a match made in heaven.
Shakur Stevenson, an artfully defensive fighter and one of contemporary boxing’s great talents, needs to be pushed and needs an opponent who can make him work and take him through the gears.
There are few, if any, active fighters busier and more industrious than Mexico’s William Zepeda, and their clash at Louis Armstrong Arena could be exactly what is needed for the sport, as well as for Stevenson and The Ring’s second New York promotion after the Times Square fiasco in May.
It is a roll of the dice, because Stevenson has not always delivered the goods, but Zepeda could be the guy to help draw them out of him.
Much has been made of the “Tom and Jerry” jibes of the event’s figurehead, Turki Alalshikh, in light of a number of drab bouts that have lacked engagement.
It has created a feast of debate over what is running, what is defense and what should be expected of fighters.
Should we expect comic book violence from everyone who laces up the gloves?
Of course, it is easy for those of us outside the ropes to make demands of those in the ring. We are not the ones jeopardizing our health and well-being, in either the present or the future. We are not the ones picking up the tab at the medical center, and we certainly aren’t the ones caring for fighters suffering from the ravages of their careers long after the final bell.
And we also know that one style of fighting doesn’t make the sport. Boxing is a buffet. You have sluggers, movers, artists, brawlers, technicians, and you have versatile sorts who do what they need to do to win a fight. Those rare chameleons can box one way for six rounds and another way the rest of the distance. Or they can struggle to contain one style for a few rounds, adapt, overcome and win. They can use the ring or fight in the pocket. These are the masters.
There are nuances to this wonderful art. There are grey areas. What if a fighter is cut and injured and has a lead to protect? Is running then permitted?
I had always found the threat of violence in “Tom and Jerry” rather appealing. Maybe some would prefer “Itchy and Scratchy”-like shenanigans, but while this is entertainment, yes, it is also sport. And in sport, winning is everything.
That is what Shakur does, and he – for one – disagreed with the “Tom and Jerry” assertions. “I think it’s out of place using that line with any fighter, in my opinion,” he said. “They aren’t the ones getting in that ring. I fight my own fight. At the end of the day, it only matters if I come out victorious.”
If he has the discipline to do so – despite sarcastic jibes about the ring getting made smaller as the rounds tick by and any perceived pressure to break character and transform into Micky Ward – and if he has the discipline not to get involved against the marauding Zepeda, Stevenson should win well.
Zepeda is coming off two struggles against Tevin Farmer, a good southpaw. But Shakur might be a great one. It’s no disgrace toiling with Farmer, but the fact that he was subsequently blitzed in a round by Floyd Schofield is a factor to take into consideration.
Zepeda, 29 and a pro since 2015, had looked freakishly good on the way up. Golden Boy made the right noise and the right moves, and Zepeda took progressively fewer rounds to stop Mercito Gesta (KO6), Maxi Hughes (TKO4) and Giovanni Cabrera (KO3). That is when his stock was at its highest –though that isn’t to say his swarming pressure and volume cannot pose the Newark man problems. They can.
But Shakur is due a stellar outing. His Top Rank career fizzled out with flat performances against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan, and he had nine workmanlike rounds with late substitute Josh Padley in February. The Englishman came in for the aforementioned Schofield at the 11th hour, and previously Stevenson had been due to face Joe Cordina last year before he had to withdraw following hand surgery.
He will have to put those hands through their paces on Saturday in New York to keep Zepeda at bay.
Stevenson is 23-0 (11 KOs). The boxing world has pointed to a bout between he and Gervonta Davis as one of the best that can be made in the sport, but with Davis’ arrest yesterday, that seems more unlikely than ever.
Having already won a featherweight title, Stevenson comfortably beat the likes of Jamel Herring, Oscar Valdez and Robson Conceicao at junior lightweight but missed weight to face the latter and moved up. It might be that he needs a significant threat to bring the best out of him. And Zepeda poses that, certainly.
Whoever finds their rhythm first in New York will be hard to stop. If Shakur makes Zepeda pay for his aggression and takes advantage of each opening, it will be difficult for the 33-0 (23 KOs) Mexican to get untracked. Similarly, if Zepeda flies out of the blocks and sets the pace, it is not easy to see Stevenson going with him, accepting an invite into the trenches. That is not his game, nor should it be.
The 28-year-old Stevenson has made a fortune, won Olympic silver and captured world titles in three weights. What he has been doing has been working just fine.
Same for Zepeda – and that is why this fight is laced with intrigue. One of them will have to bend. One will have to break.
Zepeda had moments when it looked as though he might swamp Farmer in the return, and in the second round he enjoyed a prolonged period of success working the American’s body.
But getting in close to work there leaves him in a dangerous place, and Farmer – as Stevenson can – scored with some eye-catching hooks and uppercuts. Those lancing blows could cumulatively serve to bust Zepeda up and break him down, but more likely Stevenson wins a decision.
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
