If you watched your first Shakur Stevenson fight tonight, you would never have known that he was under fire for avoiding action over the past year and a half.
In the co-main event of the “Ring III” card at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City, Stevenson outpointed the game William Zepeda by scores of 119-109 and 118-110 (twice). Stevenson maintained his undefeated record at 24-0 (11 KOs) while imparting the first blemish on Zepeda’s, 33-1 (27 KOs).
The scores didn’t quite do justice to the quality and competitiveness of the fight, or how deep Stevenson had to dig to retain his 135lbs WBC title. Stevenson landed plenty of precise counters and showed plenty of astonishing defense, as is his calling card, but in this bout his most criticized quality – an occasional overreliance on movement to limit exchanges – was absent.
Though Stevenson made Zepeda miss with an array of dazzling defensive moves, he was also there to be hit for much of the fight. And Zepeda did hit him, with thumping body shots and even a straight right in the third that hurt Stevenson for one of the only times in his career. All told, Zepeda landed 153 power punches on Stevenson, the most of any opponent who has faced the slippery titleholder.
This fight will be remembered for how well Stevenson replied to the onslaught. He fought back, landing impeccably precise, venomously thrown counter shots. He threw long combinations, invariably landing the last punch right on Zepeda’s jaw. And he stood in front of Zepeda, eating some punches but catching others. Never have the Floyd Mayweather Jnr comparisons felt so appropriate as when Stevenson stood against the ropes, rolling and glancing Zepeda’s body shots off his elbows and shoulders.
Zepeda made his intentions clear in the opening round, getting Stevenson against the ropes and throwing a combination to the head and body. Stevenson countered effectively and often, outlanding Zepeda two to one in what the fight broadcasters felt was a good round for the underdog.
Stevenson stood and traded with Zepeda in the second round. Zepeda targeted the body, Stevenson the head – and both landed cleanly. A counter right from Stevenson landed directly on Zepeda’s face, rocking his head back in precisely the clean, scoring blow that judges look for. Zepeda was already landing more often and accurately than most Stevenson opponents, but the belt holder merely grinned and fired back. For all his insecurity on social media, Stevenson is menacingly sure of himself inside the ring.
But Zepeda had his best moment in Round 3. With Stevenson up against the ropes, Zepeda aimed a straight right hand down the middle that Stevenson didn’t see. It landed perfectly and Stevenson stumbled backwards, surprised and possibly hurt. Rather than retreat, as is sometimes his tendency, Stevenson finished the round firing back.
Zepeda continued to land heavily to the body in the middle rounds, an offense that would have slowed down any opponent. But Stevenson didn’t try to move; he waited in the corners, at times not throwing enough, at others using ridiculously effective shoulder-roll defense and landing counters on Zepeda’s chin. Zepeda, in the face of the precise offense that has disciplined so many typically aggressive opponents, showed an iron chin and will to win, sticking to his style.
As the rounds progressed, Stevenson landed more and more of the effective punches and Zepeda landed less. By the 10th, Stevenson finally began employing some of the keep-away defense he has become infamous for. But he never kept at it too long. Clinches were few and far between; this fight could have been fought without a referee.
Stevenson’s performance impressed the DAZN PPV broadcasters: Antonio Tarver called some early Stevenson combinations in the ninth “sexy punching” that would “really entice the judges.” Jim Lampley said that, after watching Stevenson ringside, the relatively light-punching lightweight packed more power than he had previously thought.
By fight’s end, the gap between the fighters was clear and the outcome beyond doubt. “‘Tom and Jerry’ fights” – the phrase repeated so often this week – won’t be used again to describe Stevenson bouts unless he reverts to the negative style he employed against Edwin De Los Santos in 2023.
After the fight, Stevenson sounded critical of his performance, saying he fought more to appease his critics than to meet his own standards.
“I came here to prove a point,” Stevenson told Chris Mannix in the ring after the fight. “I took more punishment than usual. … I got that dog in me.”
Few would disagree after tonight – not least being William Zepeda.
Owen Lewis is a freelance writer with bylines at Defector Media, The Guardian and The Second Serve. He is also a writer and editor at BoxingScene. His beats are tennis, boxing, books, travel and anything else that satisfies his meager attention span. He is on Bluesky and can be contacted at owentennis11@gmail.com.
