Interim WBC lightweight champion William Zepeda has a difficult night ahead of him, as he prepares to lock horns with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson. The highly anticipated clash is set for July 12 in New York, sharing the spotlight with the Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz title eliminator. In the lead-up to the bout, Zepeda has unveiled a bold strategy aimed at putting Stevenson on the canvas.

The bout between Stevenson and Zepeda was originally slated for earlier this year, but plans were derailed when Zepeda reportedly suffered an injury during his first fight with Tevin Farmer. With Zepeda sidelined, Stevenson sought to stay active and turned his attention to Floyd Schofield Jr. However, that matchup also fell apart after Schofield withdrew at the last minute due to illness. Fortunately for Stevenson, previously undefeated Josh Padley stepped in on short notice. Stevenson ultimately secured a ninth-round knockout victory in that bout. Meanwhile, Zepeda, who had narrowly edged out Farmer via split decision in their first meeting, opted for a rematch to solidify his dominance. 

Although the second bout remained tightly contested, Zepeda walked away with a majority decision win, reaffirming his edge over Farmer. Following all this, the WBC ordered Stevenson to defend his title against Zepeda, and the pair seems to have come to an agreement to fight in July. Regardless, now Zepeda seems optimistic about his chances against Stevenson. Speaking to ES News recently, the 28-year-old Mexican said that he is gunning for a “10th round KO.” 

When asked about his strategy, Zepeda added, “It’s going to be a long fight…we’re going to have to work little by little. I think the pressure will be too much for him in the end.” Only time will tell whether Zepeda can do what so many others could not.

In the meantime, predictions for a different fight involving Stevenson have come out.

Mike Tyson predicts Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson

Mike Tyson has weighed in on the highly anticipated showdown between lightweight champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson. While the fight remains uncertain for 2025, fans continue to speculate on how the matchup would unfold. Speaking to iFL TV, Tyson acknowledged the difficulty of predicting the outcome.

“Tough one. On record, it looks like Tank’s the winner,” Tyson said, referencing Davis’ impressive 30-0-1 record with 28 knockouts. However, he emphasized Stevenson’s underrated skillset, adding, “Shakur’s one of those fighters that we were talking about in the car coming up here, he is so much better than what he looks like.”

He added, “So I’m sure when Tank gets in there it’s not gonna be as easy as he anticipated.”

That said, William Zepeda appears to have a clear game plan for his fight against Shakur Stevenson — but the real question is, can he execute it? Do you believe Zepeda has what it takes to beat Stevenson?