“Boxing is like jazz: the better it is, the less people appreciate it.” George Foreman’s famous quote never goes out of style and still fits perfectly today to describe the career of WBC lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, who has been heavily criticized over the years despite being a true artist of the ring. At New York’s Louis Armstrong Stadium, the American handed a real boxing lesson to challenger William Zepeda Segura, winning clearly on points. These were the official scorecards, all in favor of the champion: 118–110, 118–110, and 119–109.
It was an “unusual” Stevenson that fans saw in the opening rounds of this highly anticipated bout. The American, who normally begins his fights by circling his opponent and avoiding close exchanges, decided to stand his ground against Zepeda, testing his skills and winning the first two rounds thanks to his superior accuracy.
The Mexican challenger didn’t just stand there though. In the third round, he managed—albeit briefly—to disrupt the perfect machine that is Shakur’s defense. Zepeda charged forward with determination, throwing punches in bunches, and shook his skilled rival for a moment with a heavy jab to the chin, giving fans the illusion that an upset might be possible.
True champions show their mettle in tough moments, and Stevenson’s response in the fourth round was a testament to his limitless class. Shakur spent the first half of the round backed into a corner, patiently regaining his composure while Zepeda went all in trying to capitalize, but was never really able to hurt his opponent again. Then Stevenson emerged from his shell, finished the round strongly, and regained control.
Having weathered the storm, the champion got back to boxing smoothly. Zepeda kept up the pressure with admirable determination, but the gap in accuracy between the two was enormous. Stevenson needed just two seconds to nullify what his opponent had done in two minutes, while Zepeda had to exert himself to the extreme just to land anything noteworthy.
Shakur’s lead continued to grow, and Zepeda had to wait until round eight to enjoy another highlight. By revving up his engine and not shying away from a bit of roughhousing—including some sharp shoulder bumps at center ring—Zepeda briefly took the lead in the exchanges, finishing the round on a high note.
However, the illusion of a turnaround was short-lived. Stevenson shut down any comeback hopes with a significant increase in his work rate in round nine, firmly reestablishing the pecking order.
In the final rounds, Zepeda appeared discouraged and demoralized, seemingly coming forward out of obligation more than with any real belief he could change the course of a bout that had already slipped away. Stevenson, on the other hand, boxed as calmly as someone sipping a cocktail by the lake, completely untroubled and confident the victory was in the bag.
Personally, I agree with the 118–110 scorecards issued by two of the judges, as I gave Zepeda only the third and eighth rounds. The Mexican gave it his best, but the technical gap was simply too wide for him to defy the odds. What’s more, he doesn’t possess one-punch knockout power: he needs volume to do damage, and against someone like Stevenson, that’s a serious problem.
As for the champion, he gave a firm response to his critics: not only did he not run along the ropes as many expected, but he spent most of the twelve rounds standing right in front of his opponent, trading shots, and still came out a clear winner. A superb performance that, in my view, firmly places Stevenson at the top of the lightweight division.