In a rather curious twist, Shakur Stevenson already wants to fight William Zepeda, and things are getting interesting. After months of rumors, with fans saying that Shakur was avoiding the fight and negotiations stalling over the purse, things have changed
Turki was even willing to put up money to stage the fight, but Shakur turned down the proposal, but ended up changing his mind and that is quite striking, it was even said that De La Hoya was going to offer himself for the fight, but it was forgotten
That sudden change of heart seems to be due to the WBC, which ordered Shakur Stevenson to defend his lightweight title against William Zepeda, the No. 1 contender, with a 30-day deadline to negotiate. If no agreement is reached, a purse bid will be held on May 6.
Shakur wants the fight no matter what
In a chat with DAZN, Shakur confessed that he hoped the fight against Zepeda would become a reality
“Honestly, Zepeda is a great fighter. I have nothing bad to say about him, but hopefully we get this fight,” Stevenson commented
Of course, I leave him a clear message, that he is the interim champion and show that he is the true champion
“Of course. I know he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If he doesn’t fight me, he’s the interim champion and he’ll lose his interim title. So if you want to become the regular champion, the real champion of your category, you have to go through me,” he said
That was not all, he even predicted a date for this possible fight against William.
“Whenever, whenever, whenever they’re ready. I like July, August, September, whenever, whenever,” were Shakur’s words
Eddie Hearn sees a deal between the parties very soon
Eddie Hearn is optimistic about finalizing the fight between Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda without the need for a purse bid
“We would always prefer to reach an agreement. I think we can do it,” the promoter told The Ring
Eddie Hearn considers Newark, New Jersey as the perfect setting to host the fight between Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda, highlighting the high expectations for success. While Stevenson is already prepared, Zepeda has yet to put pen to paper
Eddie is confident that Matchroom and Golden Boy will get a deal done before May 6, which would avoid the WBC calling a purse bid.
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