WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (23-1,11 KOs) weighed in at 135 lbs and challenger William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) came in slightly lighter at 134.6 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in for their 12-round chief support fight this Saturday, July 12th at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
Stevenson vs Zepeda: Weigh-in Results
William Zepeda: 134.6 vs. Shakur Stevenson: 135
We didn’t get the face-offs and theatrics because this was the ceremonial weigh-in where the weights are determined before the one done for the media and fans later. That’s when we’ll see Shakur doing his antics, trying to intimidate Zepeda, create hype, and show the fans he’s not afraid of the Mexican knockout artist.
Stevenson, 28, needs to be worried because Zepeda has power, an aggressive, high-volume offense, unlike anything he’s seen in the professional and amateur ranks. Zepeda has fought tougher runners with better physical attributes than Shakur and knocked them out.
Stevenson’s Fight Strategy: Movement & Holding
- Movement (running): This is Stevenson’s primary line of defense. He doesn’t block punches in the pocket the way Mayweather did. He retreats three to five fights to avoid the attacks. We’re going to see a lot of running from Shakur on Saturday night because he’s not physically equipped to stand his ground against a high-volume fighter like Zepeda.
- Holding frequently: This is a tactic that Tevin Farmer used successfully to survive his two fights with Zepeda. It worked to a degree, as he held so tightly that it made it difficult for Zepeda to wrestle free to throw. With a lenient referee who allows Shakur to hold all night without penalizing him, he’ll use this tactic to slow him down.
What makes Zepeda even more dangerous is that he’s brave and relentless. He won’t hesitate to eat some of Shakur’s shots to get to him, just like Edwin De Los Santos did in his loss. Zepeda will take those punches just to get to the Jerry-esque Stevenson to land his combinations to the body and head.
Turki Alalshikh won’t be happy watching Shakur turn his fight with Zepeda into a boring Tom and Jerry fight, but the Newark, New Jersey native won’t care. The alternative for Stevenson would to stand in the pocket and get annihilated by Zepeda.
Shakur’s Pursuit of Gervonta Davis Fight
That loss would destroy Shakur’s dreams of landing the money fight he’s been chasing against Gervonta Davis for the last two years since moving up to the lightweight division in 2023. It’s one big hustle on Shakur’s part with the type of opposition he’s fought, and his running and holding style of fighting.
OFFICIAL WEIGHTS ARE IN ⚖️
Zepeda: 134.6 lbs
Stevenson: 135 lbsRing III live on DAZN | July 12th in New York 🥊
🎟 Get your tickets now https://t.co/t1oBpJxGji pic.twitter.com/hW94uQs6qG
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) July 11, 2025