We now have a date and a location where Shakur Stevenson will defend his title against lightweight boogeyman William Zepeda. At 135 pounds, if there’s one fight fans are clamoring for, it’s Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis. But with that bout hanging in limbo, many are turning their attention to what’s arguably the next best thing: Stevenson vs. the relentless Mexican southpaw.

Still, not everyone’s sold on the matchup. Zepeda, a high-volume, full-pressure fighter with an 83% knockout rate, shares some stylistic similarities with Tank. So, is Shakur biting off more than he can chew? Perhaps the most insightful answer lies with those in Stevenson’s circle. WBO champion Keyshawn Davis is one of Stevenson’s closest allies in the sport. Having spent time around his camps and corners, Davis’s trainer, Randell Trumell Johnson, also knows Stevenson well.

For one, Keyshawn Davis also has a title defense, his first, scheduled. The newly crowned titleholder will face Shakur Stevenson’s former opponent Edwin De Los Santos on June 7 in his hometown of Norfolk. So at the Atticus Theater, where the kick-off presser to announce the fight happened, FightHype’s Ron Goodall caught up with Davis’ trainer.

Goodall noted that Stevenson had once been in talks to face names like Isaac Cruz and George Kambosos Jr. But those opportunities didn’t pan out. Instead, it’s William Zepeda, a top-ranked contender long waiting in the wings, who now gets the call. When Johnson initially expressed enthusiasm for the matchup, Goodall broke the news: the fight was already official, set for July 12 in New York.

So Johnson added, “Good He’s going to shut all of that up. It is if anyone says anything after the fight, they are just a Shakur hater.” He went on to contrast this upcoming bout with Stevenson’s criticized performance against De Los Santos. In that fight, De Los Santos was far too passive, failing to apply pressure. “Zepeda is going to let his hands go. He’s not going to do what De Los Santos did,” he emphasized.

He framed this bout as a classic pressure fighter vs. slick boxer matchup. One he felt will bring out the best in Stevenson. In fact, he expects Stevenson to fight more assertively, as he did against Josh Padley.

Wise words for Shakur Stevenson: ignore them at your own risk

Then came a question many fans have asked: “Shakur isn’t this knockout artist If he dropped or stopped Zepeda with that, um, would that surprise you?” “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Johnson responded confidently.

He explained that Zepeda’s high output could expose him to counters. If Stevenson plants his feet and starts sitting down on his punches, an early finish isn’t off the table. Still, Johnson added a note of restraint: “It could be an early night. I’m not saying that it will, but like I said, I got a feeling it’s going to be an action-packed fight.”

What concerned him more was the potential for Shakur to be lured out of his natural style by outside criticism. “I feel like Shakur is going to actually try to step it up, you know, because he wants to prove everyone wrong. And sometimes that’s not good,” Randell Johnson said.

Keyshawn Davis’ trainer added further, “You listen to the outside noise. Sometimes you need to stick to what you do best. You know what I’m saying because some people know how great you are, so they’re going to put things in your head to make you fight out of your style and make you go in there reckless. So he got to be careful about that too.”

So there it goes. A timely reminder from someone who’s been around the fight game long enough to know: Stick to your strengths. Critics will always talk. But greatness lies in staying true to your style.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with coach Randell Johnson that Shakur Stevenson may need to approach someone like William Zepeda with caution?