Shakur Stevenson was talking boldly, firing back at William Zepeda for questioning his courage to stand and fight him the way Tevin Farmer did. Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) feels that WBC lightweight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) will crumble under his volume punching. He’ll then do what he always does, running around the ring.

Stevenson-Zepeda will meet in the co-feature next month on July 12th at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The event will be shown on DAZN PPV. There’s pressure being put on Shakur by Turki Alalshikh, who said this week that he doesn’t want to have to reduce the ring size to 12 x 12 to make fighters exchange.

Zepeda’s Relentless Pressure

• Reduced ring: 18 x 18
• Turki Alalshikh’s directive of “No Tom and Jerry” fights
• Zepeda’s pressure
• Brittle hands

The ring has already been reduced to 18 feet. Many fans believe this was done to ensure that Stevenson doesn’t move all night, which he’d have a better chance of doing in a standard 20 x 20 ring. It’s going to be more difficult for Shakur to move in an 18-footer with Zepeda bearing down on him, looking to throw 100+ punches per round.

Stevenson Promises Zepeda Beatdown

“Zepeda, I remember everything you just said. ‘Oh, Shakur won’t exchange with me. Shakur don’t have the balls like Tevin Farmer.’ Remember these things, bro. So, when we get in that mix and I’m right there, beating your a**. Don’t be surprised, Just don’t be surprised. That’s all I say,” said Shakur Stevenson to Ring Magazine’s YouTube channel.

Stevenson has a lot to prove in this fight after his performances against Josh Padley, Artem Harutyunyan, and Edwin De Los Santos. Those were Stevenson’s last three fights at lightweight, and what fans saw was that he’s not physically rugged enough to compete at a high level in the 135-lb division. He doesn’t have power, and his glass hands make him vulnerable. It forces him to run.