In July, the WBC ordered Shakur Stevenson to defend his title against the number 1 ranked lightweight William Zepeda. However, there was a problem. Stevenson was a free agent at the time looking for prospective promoters. Oscar De La Hoya used the fight as an opportunity to strong-arm Shakur Stevenson into joining Golden Boy Promotions. Unfortunately, that didn’t work. Sadly, another hiccup delayed the fight further. An untimely wrist injury last month during practice forced Stevenson to postpone his scheduled October bout with Joe Cordina. Now, after successfully undergoing surgery, Stevenson is ready and eyeing an early 2025 comeback.

In August 2024, Stevenson signed with Eddie Hearn to land that big fight against Gervonta Davis next year. Before that can happen. Stevenson has to edge out against Zepeda, who is number 1 ranked under all four sanctioning bodies right now. While this defense is expected to be tough, Hearn believes Zepeda might actually “duck” Stevenson. Why?

Perfect opportunity for William Zepeda

During an interview with Marcos Villegas of FightHubTV, Eddie Hearn opened up about the future clash between Zepeda and Stevenson. According to the Matchroom head, this is Zepeda’s best opportunity to challenge the WBC Lightweight champion. With Stevenson coming off a long layoff due to his injury, Hearn suggested that the timing favors Zepeda. “Yeah. I mean listen, it’s his best shot right now. Shakur is coming off his hand operation, he’s gonna come straight back into the fight,” stated Hearn.

However, in a surprising twist, Hearn also expressed doubt that the fight will happen, suggesting that Zepeda, under Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, might avoid the bout altogether. “In my opinion, Zepeda will duck Shakur,” stated Hearn.

Hearn went on to discuss Zepeda’s upcoming fight against Tevin Farmer, describing it as the perfect preparation for a potential clash with Stevenson. “Zepeda got the warm-up fight against Tevin Farmer. It’s a nice style to gear him up Shakur,” Hearn said, but remained skeptical, adding, “I don’t think Oscar will do it. It will eat him up too bad.”

Hearn’s comments doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially since both De La Hoya and Zepeda have publicly expressed interest in the Stevenson fight. With Zepeda boasting an undefeated record of 31-0, this is arguably his best chance to claim the WBC title. Given these stakes, it seems unlikely that Zepeda would avoid the fight once it’s officially set.

Furthermore, William Zepeda and Golden Boy Promotions have scheduled the fight against Tevin Farmer to act as a much-needed practice before Shakur Stevenson title fight. Farmer is aware of the situation and how he is being perceived as a warm-up for Stevenson and opened up regarding the same.

Tevin Farmer: A Litmus Test for Shakur Stevenson

For a while now, fighters have treated Tevin Farmer as a litmus test for anyone who wants to challenge the WBC lightweight champion. Both of them are Southpaws and have a similar defensive style that makes him a perfect warm-up before the title fight. In July, Farmer, lost against Raymond Muratalla, who is also himself looking to challenge Stevenson in the future.

Now the former IBF junior lightweight champion will face Zepeda in Riyadh on November 16. Farmer knows about the predicament he is in and how he is being perceived in the upcoming fight. But rather than feeling down, he is taking it as a motivation and wants to use this opportunity for himself. “They say me and Shakur got similar styles, and I’m the guy they want to see how good Zepeda does to see if he’s ready for Shakur,” Farmer said. “But I promise you, he will not make it to Shakur.”

Given Zepeda’s motivation and his current standing as the top contender for the WBC lightweight title, it seems unlikely he will avoid a fight with Stevenson. However, as Oscar De La Hoya previously mentioned, Zepeda has options with four sanctioning bodies, so ducking Stevenson wouldn’t spell disaster for his career—but it could delay him the opportunity to beat one of the best in the division.

What do you think about Eddie Hearn’s statement? Will Oscar De La Hoya and William Zepeda duck the fight against Shakur Stevenson? Let us know your thoughts down below.