Shakur Stevenson put in a top performance to retain his WBC Lightweight World Title against Mexico’s William Zepeda this past weekend in New York.
Criticised in the past for less than exciting main event showings, and under pressure from the promotion due to an ongoing lamenting of ‘Tom and Jerry’ fighting, Stevenson set out to prove a point against pressure fighter Zepeda.
It was a performance that was worth watching, and Stevenson admitted in his post-fight press conference that the pre-fight talk did influence it.
“I had to show y’all that I’m a dog too. Y’all keep saying that I’m a runner, I’m pillow-fisted. So I kind of stood there in the pocket at times and let y’all know that I can get busy too.”
His efforts did not go unnoticed, by fans or the man in the opposite corner. Speaking to KGTV through a translator, Zepeda described the experience of getting hit by Stevenson as ‘above average power.’
“His power just felt… It was good. It was solid to keep [me] at a distance. If he didn’t have any hand problems, he would be a problem a little bit more. But just good, above average power. A good sting.”
Stevenson has suffered injuries in both hands in the past, and has admitted that he may need to adapt his fighting style as his career progresses in order to fight for as long as possible. His record currently stands at 11 knockouts from 24 wins but, the most crucial part, zero losses.
He has now set his sights on a unification bout with controversial WBA Champion Gervonta Davis.
