By: Sean Crose
“Zepeda vs Shakur is on!!!!!!” promoter Oscar De La Hoya posted on social media Thursday night. “CHECKMATE,” posted Shakur Stevenson himself. Receiving this information straight from the sources makes it a pretty safe bet that WBC world lightweight champion Stevenson will indeed be fighting the division’s interim lightweight titlist, Zepeda, in the near future. Ring Magazine is reporting that the high profile bout is set to go down in New York on the 12th of July. The 33-0 Zepeda has just emerged from a close fight with an inexplicably underrated Tevin Farmer. Stevenson, on the other hand, was last seen destroying Josh Padley in February.
This is an interesting fight, one that will see Stevenson finally matched with a quality fighter. Although the extremely skilled Newark native will be rightly favored to win, Zepeda is nothing if not an impressive opponent. Although he had a rough go against Farmer a few weeks back it would be unwise at this point to declare the man underrated. Fighting behind a powerful southpaw jab, Zepeda can apply pressure at a world class level. He’s also got a strong high guard defense and possess thunderous power. He chops opponents down like timber.
Stevenson, however, is arguably in a league of his own. Possessing speed, expert footwork and fluidity, the man is unquestionably one of the best practitioners in the game. The problem for Stevenson is that his style isn’t fan friendly – at least not all that much. Like Guillermo Rigondeaux before him, Stevenson is a chess master in an era where fans largely prefer checkers. That’s not a knock on fans. To be sure, Stevenson is far from the most thrilling fighter in the world. A high end opponent might make things intense in the ring and very entertaining outside the ring.
For Stevenson, the fight is a chance for him to show the world just how dominant he can be. For Zepeda, this is nothing short of the chance of a lifetime. This may not be a pick ’em bout but it certainly is one worth seeing. Neither man is facing a tuneup here. This is a legitimate title fight. What’s more, it’s a title fight that will provide each fighter with positive attention. Boxer-slugger fights have a built in appeal, and this bout, provided it gets signed, should be no exception. This may prove to be one of the better fights of the year.
