Eddie Hearn says he hopes Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya will agree to a deal for his No. 1 fighter, William Zepeda, to challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson on February 22.
Both Hearn and Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) are eager to fight Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs), feeling it is a sure win. It’s a bad matchup for Shakur, who can’t and hasn’t been able to land punches. Panic and nervousness Since going up to 135 in 2023. Zepeda showed what he’ll do with Shakur, who beat Tevin Farmer, 34, last Saturday night at Latin Night in Riyadh.
Hearn is still impressed by Shakur and has yet to see his limits in his game. If the Zepeda fight ends, they will be exposed, and Hearn will likely quickly lose interest in Shakur and not re-sign him to a new contract with Matchroom.
A choice of champions for Zepeda
Zapida did not say if he would fight Shakur. After Zapida’s victory over Farmer last week, he said in a post-fight interview that his name was “being mentioned by the champions” and he would see who offered the best deal.
Although Zapida said he would “probably” fight Shakur next, he did not 100 percent confirm that he would be his next opponent. Zepeda is in the captain’s seat, the driver, who can pick and choose the champion he wants. With his popularity, he is not limited to fighting Shakur.
What Zepeda is looking forward to is seeing if the face of boxing, Geronta ‘Tank’ Davisand PBC chooses to fight him next. If they offer Zepeda a lucrative deal, he will wait for Tank to defend against Lamont Roach on March 1st and face him in the summer.
This fight will pay much more than a clash against Shakur unless His Excellency Turkey wants to finance a fight with al-Sheikh Stevenson. If not, Zepeda can make more money by tanking and reducing PPV upside down.
“We’ve agreed on our end that Shakur should fight Zepeda with honor. It’s a great fight,” said Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. “People say that they [Zepeda] Underperformed against Tune Farmer. Tevin is very tough, a very good fighter, and probably has a tough style for Zepeda.
“It will help prepare him to fight Shakur Stevenson, but as far as Tywin is concerned, Shakur is on another level, and let’s just hope that De La Hoya agrees to end the contract and Zepeda will make the fight. I’m really going to enjoy sitting down with him for this fight.
“What you’re going to see is one of the great pound-for-pound fighters of our generation, three-division world champion, 27-year-old Shakur Stevenson, put on a masterclass against Zepeda. You’re going to see something very special, said the deer.
