Tim Bradley was disappointed with what he saw from William Zepeda, who also fell and struggled to defeat Tevin Farmer last Saturday night in Riyadh.
(Credit: Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda)
Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) won the fight via a 10-round split decision but was knocked out in the fourth by a clean left hand from his opponent Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs). There was no question that Zepeda deserved the win because he had thrown a lot of punches and wore down Farmer with body shots.
The judges didn’t give Zepeda credit for the body shot, so the score was closer than it should have been. Farmer was working hard and was overwhelmed by Zepeda’s body shots.
Bradley says Zepeda needs to change his fighting style to become more defensive and world champion.
Zepeda is 28 years old and has been fighting the same way his entire professional career. He is known for averaging over 100 punches per round, and that style made him famous.
“If your defense is garbage, you’re not going to last long in business, and you’re not going to be the champion you want to be,” said Tim Bradley in his online forum, reacting to William Zepeda’s victory. Tevin Farmer.
“Zepeda, come. I understand that your offense is your defense, but you get knocked down by Farmer, who isn’t really a puncher? That says a lot about your future because they have guys hitting 135 lbs. Muratalla, come. He lashes out. Keyshawn Davis, he can hit. Gervonta Davis, you should have put it in a body bag.
“De La Hoya, you have your hands full. You have to handle this man properly because if he can’t get past his objections, I’m sure he won’t be able to get past them. All the other guys I just mentioned have more skills.”
If Zepeda changes his style to become a boxer, the career will decline. It’s obvious that he and his coaches know that and that’s why he fights the way he does. It’s the only style that can work for him, but it works well, and he might be good enough to beat Shakur Stevenson.
“You will struggle, I promise you. I’ve been saying this in his defense,” said Bradley.
If Zepeda changes his fighting style to be defensive minded, he won’t win fights because he’s not a great striker. As we saw last Saturday night, Farmer had more power than Zepeda, and he’s no puncher.
The only way Zepeda gets knockouts and is famous for is his volume punches. If you take that away, he’s going nowhere in the sport and you’re going to lose fights with better skill and those with higher strength.
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