Can Shakur Stevenson handle William Zepeda’s Firepower?

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Can Shakur Stevenson handle William Zepeda’s Firepower?

Shakur Stevenson says he will be “better than ever” when he returns to the ring in February to defend his WBC lightweight title against William Zepeda.

New Jersey native Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) has a lot to prove because he hasn’t looked like the same champion since moving up from the 130-lb division. In two of Shakur’s three fights since moving up to 135, he’s looked lean and aggressive.

Stevenson has shown that he does not have the physical and mental weapons to compete with 135 fighters. Many who saw Shakur’s fight with Edwin De Los Santos last year on November 16 saw that he did not have the tools to fight against the elite. fighters at lightweight.

Is 135 All Wrong for Stevenson?

If Shakur is knocked out by #1 William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) on February 22nd, he will have to decide whether to retire from 135 and consider it a lost cause.

If Shakur returns to 130, he can pick up where he left off and dominate this weak division against fighters like Lamont Roach, O’Shaquie Foster, Anthony Cacace, and Emanuel Navarrete. Those types of fighters are at the top of Shakur’s way, and he can dominate them for years.

What is obvious to everyone is that Shakur is lacking in these areas:

Power: The lack of power was evident in Shakur’s fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan.
Courage under fire: Shakur has no intention of standing in the pocket as he has moved up to lightweight. When Shakur fought at 126 and 130, he had no problems standing, looking to trade with his opposition. At the age of 135, he can’t do that because he’s afraid of getting cut by strong boxers in this weight class.
Bone structure: Shakur’s hands have never been raised since he moved up to 135. They failed in his fight with De Los Santos and prevented him from making it through the training camp for his canceled fight with Joe Cordina.

Zepeda will face veteran Tevin Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round bout at Latino Night on November 16 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be a warm-up battle for Zepeda to prepare him to shake up Shakur next February.

It will be interesting to see how Shakur reacts when Zepeda destroys the Farmer, as many expect him to do. Will Shakur have second thoughts about facing Zepeda? Although Shakur’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants him to fight Zepeda, there is no need for him to fight. We can easily get out of it by telling Hearn that he wants a title shot first against Cordina, and he’ll grant him his wish.