Tevin Farmer says Shakur Stevenson will have to “fight” William Zepeda to win because he throws too many punches to avoid them all.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur will fight Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) first in 2025, provided he wins a title defense against Floyd Schofield on February 22 in Riyadh. Shakur is confident that he will defeat Zepeda, but Farmer has his doubts.
Zepeda’s Volume Punching
He obviously knows that the hit-and-run style that Stevenson uses won’t keep Zepeda off him as he cuts the ring well, and he’s ready to shoot to put his own down. Shakur has no power at all and won’t be able to escape Zepeda without running.
That won’t work. He will look bad in front of Turki Alalshikh if he tries that tactic against Zepeda in Riyadh.
With Zepeda’s high volume of 100+ punches per round, Farmer states that Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) would have to fight him like he did in their bout last month on November 16th. Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KO) tried to defend against numerous punches from Zepeda, but it was useless.
Former IBF light heavyweight champion Farmer was forced to fight him, and he couldn’t keep up, especially in the championship rounds.
Zepeda overwhelmed Farmer with his jabs and volume to win a 10-round split decision. The results were 95-95, 95-94 for Zepeda and 95-94 for Farmer. I watched the fight and had Zepeda win 8-2. The judges working the fight didn’t seem to take into account the numerous body shots that Zepeda landed in each round. They only looked at headshots, which Farmer focused on.
Had it been a 12-round contest, he would have knocked Farmer out as the 34-year-old was exhausted in the ninth round and would not have gone the full twelve rounds without being stopped.
“Golden Boi is ready to do it.” “The only way the rematch doesn’t happen is if Zepeda’s team says no,” Tevin Farmer said. Cigar Talk channel about the rematch he wants against William Zepeda after losing to him on November 16th.
“Golden Boi wants to go to the rematch. I’m not saying that nobody told me anything. I say Golden Boy wants a rematch. I’m pretty sure Turki wants to succeed. It was a hell of a fight.
“You have to make Zepeda respect you because if you don’t, he’s going to keep going forward,” Farmer said when asked how Shakur Stevenson would fare against William Zepeda.
Farmer’s hopes for a rematch with Zepeda are wishful thinking as Golden Boi won’t insist on that fight. They know that the money fight, the one Zepeda needs and wants, is against Shakur. The farmer has nothing to offer Zepeda. He is not a champion and has lost his last two fights.
Farmer has to go back to super heavyweight because he lacks the power to beat the lightweights. If he stays in the 135 pound weight class, he will continue to lose and be forced out of the game.
Shakur warned about Zepeda
“Zepeda is a pressure fighter and he didn’t throw that many punches; it’s easy to single someone out like that,” Farmer said. “It’s easy to single out someone who goes forward and doesn’t throw as many punches. When someone comes forward and throws that many punches, how many punches can you make someone miss, even with my defense?
“I am one of the best defensive fighters. I can stand there and not get hit if I want to. I know I can’t, because how many shots can I slip? Yes, Shakur will have to fight (Zepeda). “Shakur is one of the best in the world for me, but he’s going to have to fight,” Farmer said.
Zepeda forced Farmer to fight him as he cut off the ring and pinned him against the ropes. Either Farmer had to fight, or Zepeda would knock him out. The same thing will happen with Shakur. He doesn’t have the power, toughness or courage of Farmer. There is no way Stevenson would be able to land the kind of shots that Farmer did against Zepeda without getting knocked out or running and holding.
“I’m not saying he has to do what I did.” I am built differently. I have a beard, I can deliver, and I can do it all. “I’m not saying he (Shakur) doesn’t, but he’s going to have to struggle,” Farmer said of how he’s better than Stevenson because he’ll actually stand in the pocket and be willing to switch.
“I feel like I should have won.” With the knockdown, it was icing on the cake for me to pull it off. Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t care,” Farmer said of his belief that he did enough to deserve a win against Zepeda.
