Shakur Stevenson proved he could stand and trade after all.
Challenged by sports promoter Turki Alashikh’s wish to not see “Tom and Jerry” fights, in his fight cards, Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) stood his ground against the hard-hitting Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) and dominated him, peppering him with sharp, crisp punches all throughout the fight. About the only thing the American couldn’t do was hurt Zepeda, who kept pushing even with the punishment he was getting.
In the end, Stevenson won via unanimous decision, with two judges scoring it 118-110 and another having it 119-109.
“He came in, pushed me,” Stevenson said of Zepeda in their 12-round duel at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens. “He pushed me to another level.”
Fight stats showed Shakur Stevenson’s undeniable dominance as he outlanded Zepeda, 295-272, while throwing fewer punches, 565-979, for a 52.2% accuracy rate. Stevenson, who retained his WBC lightweight belt, was even more on-point with his power shots, landing 199 of the 358 he threw as opposed to Zepeda’s 153 on 501 tries.
Shakur Stevenson Gives a Masterclass
With his performance, Shakur Stevenson proved he really is main event material as he used his slick defense to frustrate an aggressive but overmatched Zepeda. Notably, Stevenson departed from his usual movement-based style and chose to stand by the rooms for longer stretches than usual to give Zepeda opportunities to unload.
The challenger, however, failed to do any damage to Stevenson, who caught majority of Zepeda’s punches on his arms and shoulders while inflicting damage of his own—mostly through stiff jabs, well-timed uppercuts, and sharp combinations. The champion in the end gave credit to Zepeda, calling him a “tough guy” while also emphasizing that he, too, has got that fight in him.
“At the end of the day, I told you all, whatever it takes to get the job done,” Stevenson said post-fight. “I got dog in me. I’m not a puppy, I’m not a poodle, I’m a tough guy, so I got dog in me.”
Shakur Stevenson’s one-sided victory over Zepeda puts him in line for a potential big money showdown against WBA lightweight champ Gervonta Davis, or even high-profile bouts with Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, who are both at 140.
