Promoter Oscar De La Hoya wants to put together a fight between his fighter William Zepeda and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson after their next fight dates.
De La Hoya feels a fight between Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) and Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) would be a blockbuster. De La Hoya wants to make a deal if the two win their next fights.
Shakur is expected to be a free agent after his next fight on July 6th against Artem Harutyunyan in Newark, New Jersey. If Top Rank doesn’t re-sign Shakur, De La Hoya wants to sign and match him against Zepeda and Ryan Garcia.
It’s too early to know if Top Rank will give Shakur a new contract or let him go. Re-signing the three-division world champion could cost a lot of money, and they would have to weigh whether it’s worth it to keep him due to his recent performance.
Why Zepeda Could Trouble Stevenson
“I would love to make that fight [Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda]. Let them fight their fights in June or July, and then we can talk because I would love to make that fight,” said Oscar De La Hoya to the media.
Stevenson would need to agree to the fight with Zepeda, because he might not want to get in there with this guy and get chopped down like his recent victims Maxi Hughes and Mercito Gesta.
The way Zepeda fights is all wrong for Shakur, given the pressure he puts on his opponents and high-volume punch output. He cuts off the ring well and is impossible to evade. Shakur is an excellent mover, but even he has his limits.
“I think Shakur is one of the most talented fighters out there today, and obviously, I believe in Zepeda. His punch output and his ability in the ring to take a shot, give a shot, and throw punches in punches,” said De La Hoya.
Ryan Garcia: Still the Money Fight
“In my expertise, he can give Shakur some problems, and vice versa. It’ll be a great fight. That’s the bottom line. That’s what we want. Absolutely,” said De La Hoya when told that if he signs Shakur, he can match him against Ryan Garcia.
Shakur said in an interview this week that it won’t be as appealing to fight Ryan if he loses to Devin Haney on April 20th. He says that would be Ryan’s second loss in his last three fights, and that would take away a lot of the interest.
“This stacked division at 140 lbs. Fighters can move up from 135 to 140, 147, and they’re all in the mix,” said De La Hoya. “I think the money guy there is Ryan Garcia, whether you want to believe it or not. It’s Ryan Garcia. Even after he got beat by Tank. It’s still Ryan Garcia.
“There’s a lot of great fights. You got Teofimo, Shakur. It’s a stacked division right now,” said De La Hoya.
