Days after he knocked out Josh Padley, reports emerged that Shakur Stevenson had injured his hands. Now he’s staring at what’s probably the biggest fight of his career. On July 12, Shakur Stevenson will face William Zepeda at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. Given Zepeda’s well-earned reputation as a pressure fighter, a few appear concerned for Stevenson.

But even if one keeps aside Shakur Stevenson’s hand woes, it’s a matter worth considering: how to tackle a heavy hitter like William Zepeda. From the opening bell, the Mexican fighter swarms his opponents with deadly combinations. Most of the fighters he has faced thus far seem to have played into his game plan. Against his slugfest, they end up responding with heavy punches. So a few experts believe that’s precisely the approach Stevenson needs to avoid, especially hitting Zepeda’s head. In a lively discussion, pro boxer-turned-trainer Greg Hackett had a few suggestions.

For Shakur Stevenson: Work the ribs, wear him out!

For Hackett, the dust cleared when he came across the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda face-off at the press conference. What really had him on pins and needles was Zepeda’s big head. “That motherf**ker Zepeda’s got a monster head…. That’s the biggest head,” said the trainer. Now targeting the head of a fighter built like a bull could prove futile. But there’s a silver lining. “I say because of that, go to that man’s body….you got to go to his body,” Greg Hackett asserted. Even the host couldn’t disagree with the suggestion.

Hackett continued, “That motherf**ker got a stone face, man, and it’s no disrespect to the fighters, what he looked like; if you try to hit him in his head a little bit too much, you might break your hands on his head.” It was high time the lightweight champion also weighed in on the option.

“So if you’re seeing this, Shakur,” calling out the Olympian, Hackett said. However, he offered a clarification: “I ain’t trying to be your coach.” “But go to that man’s body, please, cuz that motherf**ker’s head,” and saying so, he broke into laughter.

Anticipating a dogfight against Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda recently said, “I don’t care if I get knocked out.” So, in light of those comments, Hackett’s advice resonates well.

Still your thoughts and let your heart lead

Because the problem is, often accused of ‘running,’ Shakur Stevenson might be under pressure to abandon his ‘boxing’ for ‘fighting.’ Roughly a month ago, while speaking with FightHype’s Ron Goodall, Randell Trumell Johnson, who trains Stevenson’s close friend and WBO champion Keyshawn Davis, expressed similar concerns. Like many, the venerable trainer knows that, unlike Edwin De Los Santos, William Zepeda will come for a fight. “Zepeda is going to let his hands go. He’s not going to do what De Los Santos did,” Trumell Johnson emphasized.

So the obvious question followed: “Shakur isn’t this knockout artist? If he dropped or stopped Zepeda with that, um, would that surprise you?” Johnson revealed that it wouldn’t actually. “If you’re getting hit with certain punches all the time, which lets his hands go at a pace to where you’re going to get hit with shots And if Shakur is comfortable with just sitting down in his punches once he gets, you know, it could be an early night.”

But what happens if Shakur Stevenson relents under pressure and abandons his natural fighting style? “I feel like Shakur is going to try to step it up, you know, because he wants to prove everyone wrong. And sometimes that’s not good… They’re going to put things in your head to make you fight out of your style and make you go in there recklessly. So he got to be careful about that too.” Trumell Johnson summarized.

So a couple of good pieces of advice for Shakur Stevenson as he preps himself for the big showdown.

What’s your take? As Greg Hackett suggested, should Stevenson focus on Zepeda’s body?