Shakur Stevenson confirmed that William Zepeda is next up for him in February if he wins his fight against Tevin Farmer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday night.
(Credit Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
Zepeda faces the 34-year-old veteran Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) on Latino Night at The Venue. This is the last step for Zepeda before he challenges Shakur on February 22nd as part of a giant card in Riyadh.
Farmer is seen as a small speed bump for Zepeda on his way to world title glory, and he likely won’t last more than three or four rounds at best. That’s if Farmer runs.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) could end his short reign as a belt-holder when he goes up against Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs). You could tell from how Shakur constantly brings up the #1 ranked Zepeda that he’s worried, and for good reason.
Zepeda = A Nightmare Shakur’s Reign
This guy can ruin his and promoter Eddie Hearn’s dreams of a mega-fight against Gervonta Davis in 2025. Hearn signed Shakur with the idea of him getting the massive money fight against Tank, but if he’s picked off by Zepeda, his short two-fight contract with Matchroom Boxing will NOT be extended.
The high-volume puncher Zepeda is going all over Shakur, drowning him with shots and forcing him to move more than he’s ever done during his seven-year pro career, beginning in 2017 after Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez dominated him in the 2016 Olympics.
That loss resulted from Shakur failing to stand and fight, as he was on his bike for the full three rounds being chased by Robeisy. We’ll likely see the same thing when Shakur faces Zepeda, who is even better at cutting off the ring against his prey than Robeisy.
Hopefully, Shakur doesn’t cry afterward without tears like he did after his loss to Robeisy. That was so weird. When do you see something like that?
Hearn seems like a nice chap, but he’s incredibly naive when judging the ability of safety-first fighters like Shakur, who doesn’t belong among the best at 135 and shouldn’t be holding a world title belt after his questionable win over Edwin De Los Santos last year on November 16th. Shakur didn’t deserve a win in that fight because he was running for 12 full rounds and landing only pecking shots.
There would be no point in Hearn keeping a safety-first fighter like Shakur in his prestigious company because he focuses on having the best. Shakur wouldn’t be living up to those standards if Zepeda crushed him on February 22nd. Hearn wants to keep his squad lean & mean, filled with the best fighters. Shakur will be useless ballast for his Matchroom company if he’s blown out of the water by Zepeda.
Farmer Hopes To Upset Zepeda’s Plans
“He’s definitely one of the best in the 135-lb division. If I have to rate, I’d say top five,” said Tevin Farmer to iFL TV when asked about his opponent, William Zepeda, for Saturday. “It won’t be an upset to real boxing fans, no, but to casuals, yes,” said Farmer on him potentially beating Zepeda.
“I’m the guy that spoils all the parties. I don’t have a lot of wear and tear on my body. I’m here to spoil the party and represent for my country.”
It sounds like Farmer still doesn’t understand what his role is in the Zepeda fight. Farmer is the sacrificial lamb, brought in strictly for showcase purposes to make Zepeda look like the equivalent of the precious $350 million Hope Diamond. The crafty Farmer has a style that approximates Shakur’s, and Zepeda will dissemble that style in front of the entire civilized world on Saturday night.
What will be interesting to see is if Shakur loses his nerve and chooses NOT to defend against Zepeda after watching what he does to Farmer. This is a fight that Shakur doesn’t have to take because Zepeda is not his mandatory challenger. So, he can go with Hearn’s original plan to defend against Joe Cordina next and then face WBA champion Tank Davis in a unification.
Yup 🦾 https://t.co/Zbx6W5hBcR
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) November 14, 2024
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