The gloomy ones wailing Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda lacks buzz should wake up. Both the champion and the challenger were quite respectful during the first face-off. At the kickoff presser, they rather allowed Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz to lead the hype department. But it looks like better sense finally prevailed. Perhaps not wanting to miss the boat, Stevenson and Zepeda have decided to turn up the heat. Even if just for a moment, via a fleeting Instagram story.

Stevenson and Berlanga co-headline the Ring event on July 12. Hosting a boxing event for the first time in its history, Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens will feature the DAZN-streamed bouts. Though full details are yet to emerge, one of the undercard fights has light welterweight champion Alberto Puello defending his title from Subriel Matias. Then, following his defeat to David Benavidez, David Morrell makes a return to face Imam Khataev.

Shakur Stevenson: Bring it on!!

Now most would expect Stevenson to fire back at a taunt, even an indirect one. But not in this instance. Rather, he faced the challenger’s threat most effusively. His Instagram story featured a snapshot of Zepeda’s latest interview with FTTV. Speaking about the upcoming fight, Zepeda made his intentions clear.

Reportedly, he said, “I don’t care if I get knocked out.” So basically he wanted to reveal that he is coming for a real dogfight, a no-holds-barred brawl. Lest the fight go the distance, he may choose not to rely on technical finesse to end it early. But it seems Stevenson already has a contingency plan in place.

In response, the lightweight champion wrote, “I love it, man. Say he doesn’t care bout getting knocked out, lol.” Through a post, FTTV shared a few more details. Revealing his views about Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda compared him with Tevin Farmer, with whom he shared 24 rounds of brutal slugfest. “Shakur has an incredible IQ, but I don’t feel Shakur has the ba**s that Tevin Farmer has,” Zepeda seems to have said.

Irrespective of this brief but indirect build-up, many fans expect the fight to unfold in precisely the way the two fighters spoke and messaged.

Is there a pattern revealing itself?

William Zepeda is a classic brawler. A pressure fighter who will keep coming to hurt Shakur Stevenson. Now, with only 48% of his 23 wins ending in early stoppages, Stevenson is not a heavy hitter. He’s a slickster who relies on his technical mastery to dodge the opponent’s incoming shots. When it comes to ‘not getting hit,’ Stevenson is an expert.

Perhaps knowing this, Zepeda wants to bait Stevenson into abandoning his style and embracing a full-blown brawl. If that happens, then he’s clearly at an advantage. But there’s a reason why Stevenson is often considered one of the sharpest minds in modern-day boxing. Sticking to his game plan, Stevenson would most probably move around the ring, forcing Zepeda to chase and cut him off the ring. So it will be stick and move. Quick jabs, then step back, circle, or slip to avoid a counterattack.

Though Zepeda might have mentioned it casually, Shakur Stevenson now knows what lies in wait for him. With two more months to go, he must work hard to prepare himself for the biggest test of his professional career. Just a few days ago, revealing his state of preparedness, Stevenson said, “Camp ain’t even started, and I feel like I’m in shape already.”

Nevertheless, one thing’s for sure. Fans are in for one helluva edge-of-the-seat fight.

How do you think the Stevenson-Zepeda fight would unfold?