“Ion bow down to nobody,” WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson tweeted back in April, regarding a dispute over the William Zepeda fight purse with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Although it turned out to be a misunderstanding, the Newark native may have caused irreparable damage to his relationship with the Saudi boxing powerbroker. So, he did what seemed like the right thing to do. He issued a public apology, walking back his earlier remarks against Alalshikh.

“It was a misunderstanding between Turki and the team. My apologies on my part for overreacting,” Stevenson had written. Fast forward to June—Alalshikh voiced his disapproval of overly defensive, movement-heavy boxing, saying he won’t tolerate “Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches.” While he didn’t mention Stevenson by name, fans quickly assumed it was Shakur that he was referring to. Now, Alalshikh has more to say to Stevenson—and this time, it appears to be a hilarious surprise.

“We have a surprise for @ShakurStevenson on Saturday,” Alalshikh wrote on X earlier today. “A ring that shrinks as the fight goes on.” It’s worth noting that Stevenson and Zepeda have signed the contract to fight in an 18×18 ring, so they are not contractually obligated to follow Alalshikh’s “surprise.” Regardless, the GEA chairman continued, adding, “Shakur says he is ready to deliver a beatdown of William Zepeda, and I know the Mexican is prepared for the challenge of the biggest fight of his life.” The real twist came when Stevenson joined in on the thread, responding: “See yall Saturday,” seemingly embracing the banter—and the new rule.

It’s possible that Alalshikh was taking a humorous jab at fans during a time when excessive lateral movement—often criticized as “running”—has sparked heated debate in boxing circles. That theory gained traction after another tweet from the Saudi boxing financier, where he jokingly announced a fictional fight between two well-known boxing journalists, Dan Rafael and Mike Coppinger, both of whom have previously worked for ESPN.

“The real Fight of The Century has been finalized to headline an upcoming Riyadh Season event – Mike Coppinger vs. Dan Rafael,” Alalshikh had tweeted. “The two have agreed on a catch-weight of 375 pounds and a 16-foot ring.” As tempting as the idea of Rafael and Coppinger squaring off might be, that’s never happening.

Even though Alalshikh’s tweet was a joke, Stevenson seems to be in the mood to shock the fans.

Shakur Stevenson promises to continue beating William Zepeda until someone invades the ring

Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda are set to test their mettle on July 12th at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, as Stevenson prepares to defend his WBC strap. However, his aim is more than defending his belt. While speaking to The Ring, Stevenson highlighted that Zepeda is the one with more knockouts, but claims he is the one with more power.

And he wants to use this power to prove his critics wrong. How is he going to do that? Well, according to the 28-year-old, someone will have to jump into the ring to stop him from beating up Zepeda. “I pull out my belt and I beat the s**t out of him and keep beating him all night until the referee jumps in or someone jumps in to save him,” Stevenson told the reporter. 

It’s not new for Shakur Stevenson to make bold promises and underdeliver. However, he did beat Josh Padley via 9th-round knockout—perhaps Zepeda awaits a similar fate. Still, don’t forget, that Zepeda is a knockout artist, and it only takes that one punch to end the game. Do you think Stevenson will keep his promise?