Shakur Stevenson responded on social media to Ryan Garcia minimizing the importance of his victory over William Zepeda, deflecting criticism by referencing his loss to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero.
No Power, No Danger
In an interview on Friday, Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) said, “Shakur is not that good.” He then devalued his 12-round unanimous decision win over the volume puncher Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) on July 12, 2025, at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, by pointing out that he had no power. He said that Stevenson doesn’t do well against “power punchers,” and that’s why he struggled against Edwin De Los Santos.
Ryan argued that people were “hyping up’ Stevenson for standing in the pocket against Zepeda last July in Queens, New York. But they failed to understand that Zepeda can’t punch and throws a lot of shots. So, it’s just a matter of catching him with a punch. That’s what Shakur did to win a decision.
I’m not mad at all Ryan, How can I be? U got embarrassed your last fight against Rollies.. I went against a real Mexican fighter with a real Mexican style of fighting and beat him at his own game!! It’s levels hit me when u win your first world title 🦾 https://t.co/rMVFiSW2ii
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 30, 2025
Man just admitted to be scared of rolly power, My bad for thinking it wasn’t the best version of him.. That’s why u suck because power is not everything bum @RyanGarcia https://t.co/BpAypodX4H
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 30, 2025
Ryan did bring up a good point during his interview with Cigar Talk, with his comment about Shakur doing well against volume punchers, but not sluggers. In the two fights that Stevenson has had against punchers during his career, against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremia Nakathilia, he was on his bike throughout.
The crowd booed both of his performances. In fights where Shakur fought volume punchers against Zepeda, Josh Padley, and Artem Harutyunyan, he stayed in the pocket.
Why Shakur Is ‘Not That Good’
“Speaking of Shakur. Power punchers don’t highlight his skills, but the guys that throw volume highlights it. That guy is not that good. They hyped it up, like, ‘Oh yeah, he can stand in the pocket now.’ He’s standing in the pocket because there’s no danger. If you really know boxing, you know that Zepeda doesn’t have any danger in his shots,” said Ryan Garcia to Cigar Talk, minimizing Shakur Stevenson’s recent win over William Zepeda on July 12, 2025.