Latest news with #WilliamZepeda
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'You're Cooked' Shakur Stevenson Agrees to Fight UK Star This Year in London
'You're Cooked' Shakur Stevenson Agrees to Fight UK Star This Year in London originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Shakur Stevenson is hot right now. Just this past Saturday, Shakur silenced the boxing world and put on yet another masterclass against formerly undefeated KO artist William Zepeda. Fans of the sweet science were calling him boring and saying he ran from opponents in the ring—but in this one, he showed off his usual generational defense while also putting together one of the most impressive offensive performances of his career. Advertisement At times, Shakur looked like vintage Floyd "Money" Mayweather—leaning on the ropes, firing off counters, and staying sharp under pressure. After the win, he was full of energy, and two days later, he hopped on The Ariel Helwani Show, which honestly had just as much fire as his co-main event this month. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 16: Shakur Stevenson stands in the ring fighting 12 rounds against Edwin De Los Santos in a fight for a vacant WBC lightweight title on November 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevenson won the vacant title by unanimous decision. (Photo by)Shakur Stevenson The three division champion was a guest on Ariel's show along with Conor Benn, and who knew they would make such an entertaining duo. Shakur took his seat after Benn, and after the two shook hands, the show was immediately on road. After a little fun and some heated banter, the two fighters started talking seriously about a potential matchup at 147 pounds. Conor Benn said, 'I'm not a 160 fighter, I'm not a 154 fighter, I'm a 147 fighter. I'm currently right now about 157. I'll go in at 147, we can honestly do that next.' Stevenson didn't hesitate and replied, 'I'm down.' Advertisement Ariel Helwani jumped in and brought up how Shakur had already said he'd be fine fighting Conor in London. Shakur confirmed it again and said, 'It would be bigger.' Benn floated a possible date in November 2025, especially with the Eubank Jr. fight possibly falling through. This fight would be huge for boxing. A win here helps both guys. Shakur would be jumping two weight classes to beat a dangerous UK name with serious buzz. And if they're both really serious, we're in for a crazy build-up—we already got a preview of that on Ariel's show. Two young stars from different corners of the world? The energy would be off the charts. Related: Shakur Stevenson Shares Strict Route for Jake Paul to Become World Champion This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shakur Stevenson admits 'Tom and Jerry' criticism affected performance against William Zepeda
Shakur Stevenson put on the most exciting performance of his illustrious pro career this past Saturday when he defeated Mexico's previously unbeaten William Zepeda at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. He held his feet, he landed the harder punches, and he threw in combinations — yes, we're still talking about Stevenson. The showing was certainly out of character for the WBC lightweight champion compared to his recent bouts. Still, it was a welcome change for even the boxing purists who were growing tired of watching the very talented Stevenson dominate low-output, action-drought contests. Advertisement Although the display entertained fans, Stevenson chose to be more critical of his work, awarding himself a B grade on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I got hit more than I wanted to, but I put on a performance that the fans liked," Stevenson said. "I fought for the fans, I did what the fans wanted. A lot of people didn't expect that because I've been telling y'all all week that I'm going to fight for myself. I kind of went against what I [said]." Saudi Arabian boxing financier Turki Alalshikh has voiced his disappointment in recent months with what he calls "Tom and Jerry fights" — where one boxer chases the other around the ring. Alalshikh's Riyadh Season and Ring Magazine ventures staged back-to-back cards in early May, which smashed long-held boxing records — though not the kind of records they were hoping to break. The two cards featured three fights which now sit in the top five of all time for fewest punches thrown in a 12-round bout. After the disappointing events, Alalshikh announced that he would no longer support fighters who fought with unexciting styles and even publicly goaded boxers like Stevenson to do a better job of entertaining the fans. Stevenson admitted to Uncrowned that Alalshikh's comments had a direct impact on his performance. Advertisement "[Zepeda] was tough, but still, at the same time, I could have moved," Stevenson said. "I could have started off the fight using a lot of lateral movement, [moving] all around the ring, but then [I would've gotten] 'Tom and Jerry' [criticism]. "[The 'Tom and Jerry' conversation] was on my mind. Yeah, it kind of got to me. I'm a competitor. I'm so competitive to [the point] where I do hear stuff, and I do kind of [want] to shut the critics up. I want to shut people up and give them something real to talk about. Also, I want people to know I can fight too. I'm not just a boxer. I've been boxing my whole life. I'm a fighter, a boxer, I can do it all. Whatever I choose to do that night is what I'm going to do." Now a promotional free agent following the end of his two-fight pact with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing, Stevenson is firmly on the hunt for a big fight. News broke this past week that Gervonta "Tank" Davis was arrested for a domestic violence offense against his ex-girlfriend after he allegedly hit her on the back of her head and slapped her during an altercation that took place in June. Advertisement Davis had been heavily linked to a rematch with WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach on Aug. 16, but with that date being just one month away, it seems unlikely that the second fight between the pair will take place as expected. Roach could be forced to explore other options for his next fight, and one man who would welcome a fight with Roach is Stevenson. "If the fight is off, I would love to fight either one of [Davis or Roach], for sure," Stevenson said. "Yes [I'd fight Roach]. I keep telling people this. I'm cool with Lamont Roach, me and him are real cool, but I'd love to fight him. Me and him makes so much sense [skill wise], I think he's one of the [most] skillful fighters at 135 pounds alongside myself, and I think we'd make for a tremendous fight." Although Stevenson vs. Roach would be a compelling matchup, it won't be able to replace the glamour behind a long-sought-after lightweight unification clash between Stevenson and Davis. Advertisement "Yes [I think it happens], for sure," Stevenson said of a potential Davis fight. "I think it could be [my next fight]. I don't put it past him. Whenever he picks up the phone and says, 'Yo, let's make this fight happen,' it's going to happen. "I think the main step is one of us [has] to find a way to reach out and try to get the fight to happen," Stevenson continued. "It can't be no little kid s***, it can't be no back and forth. We've got to be grown men and get the fight done, that's how I feel. I would love to talk to him and have a real conversation and make this fight happen. But some guys [are] kind of [egotistical], so I don't know where his ego is at. Advertisement "This is the biggest fight in the world. This is the biggest fight in the sport of boxing. Everybody wants to see this — casuals, non-casuals, boxing fans. Everybody wants to see this fight." Stevenson is hoping to follow from the example set by his friend Terence Crawford, not just in making a mega all-American bout, but with how the fight materializes. Famously, long-stalled negotiations between Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. made significant progress when the pair spoke directly on the phone in May 2023. Crawford and Spence ended up fighting in July of that same year for the undisputed welterweight title. Stevenson believes that contact needs to be made directly between himself and Davis before a highly anticipated unification fight between the pair can come to fruition. Advertisement In the absence of a major bout at 135 pounds, Stevenson has welcomed the idea of moving up to 147 pounds for a fight with British star Conor Benn, who fell narrowly short in his Event of the Year front-runner with Chris Eubank Jr. at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this past April. Although Stevenson has found his weight class at lightweight, the three-division champion believes that the talent gap is vast between himself and Benn — similar to what Benn believed when moving up two weights to fight Eubank Jr. — and so Stevenson thinks that he could move up 12 pounds for a Benn fight and still emerge victorious. "Conor Benn, he be talking but he knows I'm he truth," Stevenson said. "He can sit there and say, 'Run this, do that.' He knows deep down inside, I'm the truth. "I would love to go to London and fight him in front of his fans."
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Shakur Stevenson defends lightweight title by beating Zepeda at home of US Open tennis tournament
NEW YORK (AP) — Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated and defended his WBC lightweight title with a dominant performance in the first boxing card held on the grounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, beating William Zepeda by unanimous decision Saturday night. One judge favored Stevenson 119-109, while the other two had it 118-110 for the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. Stevenson (24-0) won just before Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz fought in the final bout of the night in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the No. 2 venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But it was a main event-level performance from Stevenson and the first wide victory of the night after the previous two bouts were close right to the finish. Zepeda (33-1) landed a left hand shortly after the opening bell that drew a smile from the champion, and he was able to get inside a number of times to unload a series of shots at Stevenson. But he was often powerless to stop the flurries that were coming back at him from Stevenson's hand speed that is up at the top of boxing. ___ AP boxing:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shakur Stevenson defends WBC lightweight title with brilliant battle over William Zepeda
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson showed that he's still one of the best in the world. The co-feature of Saturday's boxing card in New York had some fire, as Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight title by unanimous decision in a brilliant back-and-forth fight against William Zepeda. A relentless Zepeda put up his best effort, but Stevenson's technicality won out to help him retain his title. The final scores were 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109, all in Stevenson's favor. Advertisement Saturday's fight was a game of offense vs. defense. Stevenson, who is known for his heavily defensive style, started off the bout by dancing away from the aggressive-swinging Zepeda. Though Stevenson was more efficient, Zepeda was able to control the pace, forcing Stevenson to engage with the fight. In the third, fourth and fifth rounds, Zepeda cornered Stevenson into the ropes, getting in a few huge jabs. But Stevenson eventually pulled back into the center of the ring, staying technical and efficient with his blows. Zepeda continued to be relentless, throwing nearly four times as many punches as Stevenson, but keeping up with the fight with a shocking amount of endurance. The two exchanged several key combinations, but Stevenson started to pull away as Zepeda's relentlessness began to flag. Though the first six rounds were incredibly close, Stevenson was able to shift and retain momentum to retain his title. For full coverage of Saturday's fight card, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire DAZN pay-per-view, check out Uncrowned's Berlanga vs. Sheeraz hub.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shakur Stevenson defends lightweight title by beating Zepeda at home of US Open tennis tournament
NEW YORK (AP) — Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated and defended his WBC lightweight title with a dominant performance in the first boxing card held on the grounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, beating William Zepeda by unanimous decision Saturday night. One judge favored Stevenson 119-109, while the other two had it 118-110 for the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. Advertisement Stevenson (24-0) won just before Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz fought in the final bout of the night in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the No. 2 venue at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But it was a main event-level performance from Stevenson and the first wide victory of the night after the previous two bouts were close right to the finish. Zepeda (33-1) landed a left hand shortly after the opening bell that drew a smile from the champion, and he was able to get inside a number of times to unload a series of shots at Stevenson. But he was often powerless to stop the flurries that were coming back at him from Stevenson's hand speed that is up at the top of boxing. ___ AP boxing:
