Eddie Hearn says he’s been advised light-weight contender William Zepeda will struggle Tevin Farmer subsequent, not George Kambosos Jr., earlier than the tip of the 12 months.
Zepeda is reportedly preventing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, subsequent. So, if it’s Farmer that he’s going through, they’ll receives a commission properly, giving Zepeda an opportunity to point out off his expertise in opposition to the previous IBF tremendous featherweight champion.
Matchroom promoter Hearn says he’d been advised that Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) wouldn’t be out there to struggle via November as a result of his spouse was having a toddler. Hearn had wished #1 WBC Zepeda to face his not too long ago signed fighter, light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson.
As a substitute, Hearn was compelled to dig up one other opponent for Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) to struggle on October twelfth, Joe Cordina, and he’s been coping with a backlash ever since. Cordina was knocked out within the eighth spherical final Might and has by no means fought at 135. You couldn’t discover a worse opponent for Shakut to struggle should you tried, and Hearn stepped into it with this transfer.
Farmer’s Resurgence
The 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) is coming off a razor-close ten-round unanimous determination loss to Raymond Muratalla on July thirteenth in Las Vegas.
Going into that struggle, many boxing followers felt that the heavy-handed and far youthful 27-year-old Muratalla would blow Farmer out of the water primarily based on his energy. However surprisingly, Farmer outboxed Muratalla in lots of rounds, exhibiting abilities he may want to have. Farmer seemed in classic former, exhibiting no indicators of age, and again to the place he was earlier than title loss to Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz on July 30, 2020.
“We had been a bit dissatisfied as a result of I talked to Shakur, Josh Duban, and the blokes at the moment, and we had been advised that [William] Zepeda wouldn’t be out there in October, November, or September as a result of he was having a toddler,” stated Eddie Hearn to the iFL TV web site about William Zepeda not being out there to struggle not too long ago signed Matchroom fighter, WBC light-weight champion
Shakur’s Dodged Bullet
It’s maybe factor that Zepeda is preventing Farmer subsequent fairly than Shakur. Hearn may see it as a foul factor that Shakur isn’t preventing Zepeda this 12 months, however he’s not prepared for this type of a high-pressure, high-volume fighter. Shakur, 27, is simply too weak and may’t deal with strain properly with out taking off working.
“Now, we’re listening to I consider he’s going to struggle Tevin Farmer. I believed he [Zepeda] was going to struggle George Kambosos, however he’s not preventing George Kambosos. I hear it’s Tevin Farmer. We had been able to go straight into that Zepeda struggle, however possibly they’re not. So, we’ll see,” stated Hearn.
Should you’re Hearn, you must maintain Shakur away from Zepeda till after he will get the massive payday struggle in opposition to Gervonta Davis in 2025. Shakur is not going to beat Zepeda with out controversy. It might be an analogous struggle to Shakur’s match in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos, the place he hits and runs all evening, and judges give him a doubtful determination. Shakur can’t beat a fighter like Zepeda by buying and selling, and he can be compelled to remain on his bike to win an unpleasant determination in a boo-filled struggle.
The Albatross
Hearn must let Shakur go after his two fights are up with Matchroom fairly than pouring more cash into this albatross. If Shakur can get the Tank struggle in his second conflict of his two-fight take care of Matchroom, that’s good.
Hearn can then wash his fingers of Shakur after he loses that struggle. U.S. followers don’t need to see Shakur preventing Zepeda along with his hit-and-run fashion, particularly if this match shall be bought on PPV, like Stevenson’s headliner in opposition to the not too long ago knocked-out Cordina on October twelfth. Shakur gained’t stand and struggle Zepeda as a result of he’ll get obliterated inside three rounds.
