William Zepeda faces former world champion Tevin Farmer in an vital check on “Latino Night time’ on November sixteenth in Riyadh. That is preparation for the #1 ranked light-weight contender to get him able to problem Shakur Stevenson for his WBC title in 2025.
Farmer thinks he’s received an actual likelihood in opposition to Zepeda, however this has mismatch written throughout it. That is going to be extra like Zepeda’s current knockout wins over Mercito Gesta and Maxi Hughes. Farmer lacks the youth, energy, and offensive expertise to carry Zepeda off.
Stevenson-Zepeda may occur in February, but it surely won’t. Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) is coming off a hand damage. It’ll be as much as his new promoter, Eddie Hearn, to determine if he desires to have him take a tune-up first earlier than making the combat with Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs).
If Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) destroys the 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) as he did his final two opponents, Giovanni Cabrera and Maxi Hughes, Shakur could select to take a tune-up. He received’t need to rush right into a dangerous combat in opposition to Zepeda and mess up his possibilities for a mega-payday in opposition to Gervonta Davis subsequent 12 months. That’s the combat that Shakur has been chasing and the doubtless motive Hearn signed him.
Zepeda vs. Farmer might be preventing on the undercard of Gilberto Ramirez vs. Chris Billiam-Smith at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Zepeda vs. Farmer looks like it’s extra preparation for the larger fights within the light-weight division,” stated Paulie Malignaggi to Probox TV, discussing the November sixteenth conflict between William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer.
“You’ve received Farmer, who’s an ex-world champion, a savvy, artful veteran. He’s a great fighter. I wouldn’t say he’s received loads left, however he’s received sufficient to indicate us the place Zepeda is at.
In a weight class the place the highest two canines, Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson, are each superb southpaw fighters and champions, I believe Tevin Farmer, being a pale ex-world champion, who was additionally a artful southpaw.
“It’s a great matchup when it comes to displaying us precisely how we will hold gauging Zepeda on this weight class. I don’t essentially assume he’s going to combat Shakur Stevenson early subsequent 12 months. I simply assume that’s boxing trash discuss,” stated Malignaggi.
Paulie is true. If Shakur does combat Zepeda, it’ll be on the finish of subsequent 12 months, and that’s if he’s nonetheless the WBC champion by then. If Shakur faces Tank in his subsequent combat or after a tune-up, he’ll lose the title, and there might be no want for a harmful combat in opposition to Zepeda.
“Boxing loves supplying you with blue balls, and that’s going to be the subsequent blue balls on the horizon for boxing. Perhaps we’ll get Zepeda and Shakur late subsequent 12 months. I doubt we’ll get it early subsequent 12 months, however I might like to be fallacious for as soon as,” stated Malignaggi.
Shakur appears assured that he’ll beat Zepeda in February, and he’s not concerned with taking a tune-up. Nevertheless, Shakur’s promoter, Hearn, could have second ideas about making this combat subsequent if Zepeda obliterates Farmer.
Hearn didn’t signal Shakur to an costly two-fight deal simply to have him get overwhelmed earlier than the payoff conflict in opposition to Tank Davis. All it’s important to do is have a look at how Hearn matched Edgar Berlanga after he signed him a 12 months in the past.
He put Berlanga in with a few tomato cans from the UK, Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory, to make him look good earlier than setting him up with the big-money combat in opposition to Canelo Alvarez. He was overmatched in that combat, wanting like he didn’t belong within the ring with Canelo. Hearn will doubtless do the identical with Shakur. Match him in opposition to a comfortable contact in February earlier than making the unification conflict in opposition to Tank.
