Zepeda’s Power Vs. Shakur’s Fragile Hands: July 12

Maxi Hughes says he’s giving Shakur Stevenson the edge in his fight against William Zepeda on July 12th at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. However, Hughes isn’t sure if the WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) can hold off Zepeda (33- -0, 27 KOs) with his brittle hands and lack of punching power.

Zepeda’s Relentless Pace

Hughes found out how difficult it was to slow Zepeda down when the Mexican knockout artist stopped him in the fourth round last year. He says William just keeps coming forward, throwing punches, and taking shots to land his volume.

Hughes believes that’s what Zepeda will do against Shakur and thinks he could be successful if the Newark, New Jersey native’s fragile glass hands aren’t strong enough to withstand the pressure.

If Shakur loses, Turki Alalshikh may need to consider removing him from his future Riyadh Season cards because there would be no point in artificially propping up his sagging career. Promoter Eddie Hearn could save money by not bothering to extend Stevenson’s contract with his Matchroom stable.

Hearn has been banging on about how he’s going to turn Shakur into a “global star,” and U.S fans think he’s insane. They’ve been stuck watching Stevenson’s fights on ESPN, and they know what he’s about.

“Straight after that fight, I was like, ‘I think he’ll beat Shakur.’ And I still edge Shakur because of his skills, and how Tevin Farmer had done well against Zepeda,” said Maxi Hughes to Pro Boxing Fans when asked who wins the Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda fight on July 12 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

Zepeda overwhelmed Maxi Hughes with volume, forcing a fourth-round stoppage in their fight in March 2024 in Las Vegas. He tried to box Zepeda, but the Mexican walked through his shots and was burying him with punches in the third and fourth rounds. Zepeda will try to do the same to Shakur, who is even less of a puncher than Maxi. The power he has won’t be effective due to his brittle hands.

“One thing is, he [Zepeda] doesn’t slow down and he doesn’t tire and he’s good on the inside,” said Hughes about William Zepeda.

Shakur’s Fragile Hands 

“It’s going to be interesting to see if Shakur, we know he’s got fragile hands, can he keep him off. Because one thing was, he will keep coming forward, and if Shakur doesn’t hurt him, Zepeda will go, ‘I’ll take a few of these to get inside and land my own.’”

There’s no question that Zepeda will walk through Shakur’s shots to get close enough to land. That’s how Zepeda fought Tevin Farmer and got the better of him in both of their fights. He came close to knocking out Farmer in their rematch on March 29th in Cancun, Mexico. Tevin was turning his back, looking like he was in serious trouble in rounds five and six from the onslaught from Zepeda.

Shakur doesn’t hit nearly as hard as Farmer and is less willing to absorb shots. He will try to make a break for it when the Mexican volume puncher Zepeda begins putting it on him. This could be a track meet type of fight, like fans saw in Stevenson’s fight against Edwin De Los Santos in 2023. When a volume puncher is massacring a fighter, the last thing they do is make a desperate retreat. They’ve essentially given up the fight and are trying to save themselves by fleeing. It’s that way in war and boxing.

“So, that’s where it’s so interesting. I might try to get ringside seats in New York. I wouldn’t mind observing that,” said Hughes about the Stevenson-Zepeda fight.

“Shakur Stevenson’s “Fragile Hands” Could Cost Him vs. Zepeda, Says Hughes” over this: Zepeda’s Power vs. Shakur’s Fragile Hands: July 12