An outstanding performance saw Shakur Stevenson mow down voices that slammed him for avoiding direct confrontation. On Saturday, July 12, at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, which held the Ring III event, Stevenson secured a unanimous decision over William Zepeda. Apart from a solid display of his defensive skills, the fight stood out for the way Stevenson held on to Zepeda’s relentless pressure, outboxing him in pockets. Not many believed Stevenson could hurt an opponent!

But the Newark native’s terrific accomplishment has yet to sink in, it seems. A hilarious moment erupted when Shakur Stevenson’s daughter weighed in on her father’s journey to victory. Perhaps her thoughts stemmed from the sequence of events that unfolded in the third round. A straight right from Zepeda caught Stevenson on the face, wobbling him for a moment. Stevenson couldn’t believe his ears when he heard his adorable daughter expressing doubts about him.

To begin with, Stevenson wondered why his little one would raise such concerns. Laughing out loud, he posted on X, “Nah, why she do me like that 😂😂?” He was actually responding to an X post that featured his interview. He held his daughter, who was watching everything with keen interest.

So reckoning the odds stacked against him, Stevenson mentioned how Zepeda stepped into the ring with every intention to clinch his title. “He (Zepeda) wanted to win that fight really bad,” he recalled. But before he could say anything further, his daughter added her viewpoint: “He (Zepeda) almost knocked him (Shakur) out!”

The response left Shakur Stevenson in disbelief. Amid the reporter’s cackle, he hesitated for a moment before responding to his daughter, “No, he did not, girl. Are you crazy?” Whosoever saw the footage could barely control their laughter. Everyone was in splits with the child’s innocent antics.

But fun apart, that was one scary moment in the fight. Almost everyone rose from their seat when Zepeda cornered and shook up Stevenson.

Shakur Stevenson’s masterclass that caught everyone off guard

To most fans, it was a fight where the Olympian’s counterpunching outshone the volume puncher. It was a throwback to the days when, dazzling in the ring, Floyd Mayweather outboxed the likes of Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Canelo Alvarez, and many more.

To his credit, William Zepeda just kept on pressing the gas. But Stevenson’s acute defense left his blitzing body shots ineffective. Then, seizing the opportunity, Stevenson would thrust a piercing left on Zepeda whenever he stopped for a short breather.

The CompuBox‘s full punch stat report narrates the whole story. The total volume of punches Shakur Stevenson threw stood around 565. In contrast, William Zepeda lunged a staggering 979 punches. But, with 52% of his shots making the connection, the American champion excelled in accuracy. Only 28% of Zepeda’s punches hurt Stevenson.

Now one would have understood had it been a narrative around jabs. But what’s shocking to most remains Shakur Stevenson’s power shot output. Nearly 56% of his punches landed on Zepeda’s body. By comparison, the Mexican fighter connected on only 31%.

Still, there’s a downside to Shakur Stevenson’ stellar performance. He has raised the bar. So fans will naturally expect him to deliver a similar performance in the next outing as well.

After watching the Zepeda fight, have your perceptions about Stevenson undergone a change? Sound off in the comments!