The latest developments suggest that Shakur Stevenson might finally have luck on his side. Opportunities appear to be knocking at his door once again. It could signal a promising turn of events for the three-division world champion.
After a thankfully short-lived retirement, the talented young boxer hinted at June’s return. However, he seemingly found an early opening. The peculiar online behavior of Ryan Garcia leading up to the title fight against Devin Haney has sparked calls for the bout to be canceled. But Shakur Stevenson believes that he could be the ideal replacement for ‘KingRy’. Now he couldn’t have been luckier. The news of his overtures to position himself in the big fight had started gathering traction. However, in a twist of fate, another break seems to have followed.
Shakur Stevenson seizes the moment
At The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, unbeaten lightweight William Zepeda continued his winning streak. He defeated the former IBO lightweight champion from England, Daniel ‘Maxi’ Hughes, in DAZN’s headline event. With the triumph, the Mexican southpaw has set himself up as the mandatory challenger to both the WBA and IBF title holders. Rick Glaser tweeted an update on the news early in the morning today.
Tagging Zepeda, the boxing matchmaker shared that technically, the win over ‘Maxi’ Hughes has put ‘Camaron’ the WBA’s mandatory challenger to Gervonta Davis (now Abdul Wahid). Additionally, he can now stake a claim to the IBF title by challenging the winner of the May 12 fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. According to Glaser, the Zepeda-‘Tank’ fight bears all the markings of a great match.
Rick Glaser said, “#WilliamZepeda is all that, & the best is yet to come. Zepeda is now the WBA Mandatory for #TankDavis & Mandatory for the winner of the IBF title fight, Loma-Kambosos. Zepeda vs. Tank Davis would be all-action! #DAZN #GoldenBoy #Boxing.“
A few hours later, Shakur Stevenson joined. William Zepeda is already the mandatory challenger to the WBC title that he grabbed last November. Given that he doesn’t have any opponents in hand as of now, a fight with Zepeda makes great sense. “He also #1 for the WBC.. A real killer right in front of me, and I don’t any opponents lined up, lol,” said the Newark-born southpaw. Then, tagging the Mexican southpaw, Stevenson called out the Mexican boxer and said, “#StevensonZepeda, next, let’s make it happen!!“
Early in the morning, Shakur Stevenson responded back to Boxing Kingdom’s post. Per the message, given the high chances of Garcia-Haney caving in, Team Haney might have already started looking out for a backup opponent.
Embracing Opportunities
Replying back, Shakur Stevenson said that despite his best efforts, he couldn’t reach out to Bill Haney. Otherwise, it is a fight he would love to step into. “Damn, I reached out to Bill didn’t get a reply, but we would love to step in, especially in NY.. We would sell out, and it’s a big fight,” said the three-division champion.
Interestingly, in a separate development, it seems Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes both Ryan Garcia and William Zepeda, seems eager for a fight between Stevenson and ‘Camaron’.
Thus, fans could expect Stevenson back in the ring perhaps sooner than expected. As of now, the possibility of a title defense against William Zepeda appears most likely. Maybe after the plausible win, he could challenge ‘Tank’ for a much-vaunted big fight. Otherwise, as an alternate, he can check for opening a new chapter in the division.
