Shakur Stevenson vs. Zepeda: Defying Turki’s “No Tom & Jerry” Demand

Shakur Stevenson stays stubbornly defiant that he’s going to stay to his defensive model of preventing on Saturday towards William Zepeda, regardless of Turki Alalshikh’s feedback about not desirous to see any extra “Tom and Jerry” fights in his Riyadh Season occasions. WBC light-weight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) mentioned that he’s NOT going to “combat any individual else’s combat” by standing and brawling.

Stevenson Rejects Brawling Zepeda

Shakur’s defiant pushback towards Turki could be seen as a traditional case of biting the hand that feeds, as he selected him for this occasion. Alalshikh might have chosen a extra entertaining and proficient light-weight to face Zepeda, corresponding to Andy Cruz or Abdullah Mason. He chosen him, and that is the thanks he will get.

“They don’t f**** matter. They not those getting in that ring. I don’t received to face and combat any individual else’s combat. I combat my very own combat. And if I really feel like standing there and preventing that combat, I’m doing that as a result of I do know I can win that combat. So it simply issues that I come out victorious,” mentioned Shakur Stevenson to Brian Campbell’s channel, reacting to Turki Alalshikh’s feedback about not wanting any Tom and Jerry fights in his Riyadh Season occasions.

Do you discover the angle with Shakur? As an alternative of agreeing with Turki that he wants to face and combat to entertain followers, he’s mainly saying he’s not going to alter something. If he desires to run, he’ll run. Turki is the one who might be affected if Shakur runs for 12 rounds as a result of followers might be reluctant to buy tickets or fights on PPV in the event that they’re offended in regards to the lack of leisure on Saturday’s card.

Shakur: “Waking A Monster”

“There are a whole lot of doubters and other people going towards me. When that occurs, they’re waking up a monster,” mentioned Stevenson.

What does Shakur anticipate from followers? The followers aren’t blind. They noticed his combat towards Edwin De Los Santos, famous his reluctance to have interaction, and noticed how the combat ended with a controversial resolution. Why would they not doubt Shakur after that efficiency?

Furthermore, take a look at the low-level opposition that Stevenson’s promoters have slyly matched him towards since that combat: ‘The Electrician’ Josh Padley and Artem Harutyunyan. You suppose it was an accident that Shakur’s promoters put him in with these guys after how he carried out towards De Los Santos? You’d must be naive to not join the dots.

He’s being paid gazillions for the Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) combat, and he’s failed to herald the followers. The Louis Armstrong Stadium venue in Queens has a lot of unsold tickets for Saturday’s occasion, indicating that Stevenson can’t promote.

You may solely think about the low variety of buys on DAZN PPV for the occasion, and Shakur deserves a part of the blame. He’s not somebody the general fanbase within the U.S desires to see.

Why Shakur Misplaced Major Occasion

“I received nothing to do with it. It’s one thing to do with the Hamzah Sheeraz child that Turki likes,” mentioned Stevenson when requested about his ideas on his combat towards Zepeda not being the primary occasion for Saturday’s occasion in Queens.

Turki clearly wasn’t about to place the Stevenson-Zepeda combat within the headliner and watch the occasion bomb after Shakur’s poor performances in his final three fights towards Josh Padley, Artem Harutyunyan, and Edwin De Los Santos. Shakur was booed in two of these fights, and even his personal hometown followers had been leaving in droves by the midpoint of his protection towards Harutyunyan in Newark, New Jersey, final yr.