William Zepeda Poised to Grab WBC Gold After Shakur Stripped

William Zepeda finds himself sitting in the catbird seat for the vacant WBC lightweight title after the sanctioning body officially stripped Shakur Stevenson today.

The move comes on the heels of Shakur jumping up to 140 pounds to take the WBO title from Teofimo Lopez this past Saturday. While Stevenson had the option to hold onto his 135 lb strap, it would have required a $100,000 sanctioning fee that he chose not to pay.

Even though Shakur took to social media to complain about the decision, his eyes seemed fixed on heavier weight classes. Right after his unanimous decision win over Lopez, he was already in the ring chatting with Conor Benn about a potential move to 147. He mentioned a rehydration clause for that one, showing he is more interested in new challenges than looking back at the lightweight ranks.

This opens the door wide for Zepeda. The WBC is expected to order a fight between him and interim champion Jadier Herrera to fill the vacancy. Zepeda, now 33-1, proved his worth last July when he pushed Shakur to the absolute limit at Louis Armstrong Stadium. In that fight, Zepeda ignored Shakur’s jab and forced a brutal inside brawl, punishing the New Jersey native with constant body work in a contest many fans thought was too close to call.

While Herrera brings serious power from the southpaw stance, he hasn’t dealt with the kind of relentless volume and pressure Zepeda carries into the ring. If this fight gets made, Zepeda has a massive opportunity to finally wrap that green belt around his waist.

It’s going to be difficult for Jadier to hold Zepeda off him for 12 rounds of unrelenting pressure. He’s not going to slow down, and will continue to throw upwards of 100 punches per round for as long as the fight goes. Shakur was able to withstand it, but he picked off enough shots to keep from being stopped.