WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and Mexican contender William Zepeda are finally heading into a potential blockbuster bout as two of the best lightweight fighters head into an intriguing showdown at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, on July 12. The upcoming card will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, broadcasted by DAZN, and further see another eye-catching bout transpire between British middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz and Puerto Rican-American fighter Edgar Berlanga. The event will also be sponsored/promoted by The Ring Boxing Magazine.
A match between Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KO’s) and William Zepeda (33-0, 37 KO’s) had been expected for approximately a year since the WBC reportedly first ordered a bout between the two fighters. Complicating the initial mandate had been the absence of an official announcement, and unreasonable demands made by either Zepeda or his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions head Oscar De La Hoya, which required Stevenson to sign with Golden Boy.
The match between the two will occur roughly a year since the WBC’s dubious order on July 12 and mark an exciting match-up between two fighters arguably in their prime. Further set to increase interest will be the contrasting styles between the two fighters, with Stevenson known for his Mayweather-esque style that adheres strongly to the “hit and not get hit” principle, while Zepeda adopts a pseudo “Mexican style” of fighting which is further defined by his large punch output.
Given the nationalities of both fighters, the tale of the tape signifies a classic “America vs. Mexico” fight that is surely set to create a sizeable buzz and plenty of discussions in the global boxing community.
Stevenson will be defending his WBC lightweight (135 lbs) title in this fight against Zepeda, his mandatory challenger and also the current WBC interim titleholder.
Added to the co-main event will be a non-title middleweight (160 lbs) bout over 12 rounds yet not one without significance as Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KO’s) and Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO’s) head into what will be expected to be a heated battle. Sheeraz, 26, still enjoys somewhat of an intact reputation after clearly losing in his first world title challenge to WBC 160-pound champion Carlos Adames yet the official result determined their fight as a split-decision (SD) draw.
Berlanga, 28, is coming off a solid win this March over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-1-1, 16 KO’s) but still suffers from question marks surrounding his own ability after failing to meet expectations against Canelo Alvarez last year.
Like the Stevenson-Zepeda match, both fighters appear to be at their peak, are considered top contenders at middleweight and have had world title fights this past year, indicating another world title opportunity will follow for the winner.
On the undercard, another Puerto Rican fighter in former IBF super lightweight (140 lbs) champion Subriel Matias (22-2, 22 KO’s) will be getting his title shot against WBC 140-pound champion Alberto Puello (24-0, 10 KO’s) from the Dominican Republic. Having worked himself up back the ladder with several wins after losing his title to Liam Paro last year, Matias appears well-suited for the second world title challenge of his career ― arguably being in better form since his defeat than Puello who struggled in his last bout against Sandor Martin, netting a somewhat disputable SD win.
Cuban light-heavyweight (175 lbs) contender David Morrell (11-1, 9 KO’s) will also be making an appearance on the card. Coming off a unanimous decision (UD) loss to David Benavidez, Morrell’s opponent, unbeaten Australian 175-pound contender Imam Khataev (10-0, 9 KO’s) represents a humongous challenge for a comeback fight and the night might signal the rise of Khataev himself ― an unheralded contender with plenty to prove.
