On July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) produced a dominant performance, defeating William Zepeda by unanimous decision (118-109 x2 and 119-109). The fight entertained both the crowd at the venue and fans watching at home. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Stevenson offered an honest assessment of his performance.
Shakur Stevenson Impresses Against William Zepeda in New York
Stevenson Grades Zepeda Performance
At Louis Armstrong, Stevenson impressed, dealing with Zepeda’s high output and pressure tactics by moving well and countering impressively. As the fight progressed, Stevenson began to win the exchanges up close and boss the fight. Watching the fight back, Stevenson more than deserved the victory, even if the scorecards were a little wide.
“I came in here to prove a point,” Stevenson told Chris Mannix in the ring. “It wasn’t the performance I was looking for because I came in here to try and prove a point and I was tryin’ to fight, so I took more punishment than usual. But, at the end of the day, I told y’all, whatever it takes to get the job done. I got dog in me. I’m not no puppy. I’m not no poodle.
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“I’m a tough guy, so I got dog in me. I fought. … I proved that I’m a dog. That was one of the toughest fighters at 135 pounds. I want a lotta people to get in the ring with him, and see how tough he is. So, he came in, he pushed me, pushed me to another level.”
When appearing on the Ariel Helwani Show, Stevenson reflected on his win over Zepeda and gave himself an honest grading: “I give it a B-. I got hit more than I wanted to, but I put on a performance that the fans liked. I fought for the fans. I did what the fans wanted and a lot of people ain’t expect that.”
The Future for Shakur Stevenson
In the post-fight press conference on July 12, Shakur spoke about what he wanted next: “The best vs the best, that should be my next fight. Told y’all I’m a dog, I’m top-level, elite-level fighter, so let’s make boxing great again. Let’s put the best fighters in the ring with each other, let’s see who come out victorious.”
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This is seemingly the most significant win of Stevenson’s career, and he looks set to move on to bigger fights. Gervonta Davis remains his number one target, but there are some fascinating potential fights for the current WBC lightweight world champion.
