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Promoter Eddie Hearn says he needs WBC obligatory William Zepeda to be the following opponent for Shakur Stevenson if he’s victorious in his rematch with Tevin Farmer on March twenty ninth in Cancun.
Hearn states that Zepeda (32-0, 29 KOs) was a part of his authentic three-fight plan for Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) after he signed him, and he nonetheless needs that to occur. The unique roadmap that Hearn had for Stevenson when he inked him to a contract with Mathroom was for him to take these fights on this order:
Floyd Schofield
William Zepeda
Gervonta Davis
The Schofield match fell aside after he pulled with an sickness final week, making it vital for Hearn to scramble for a alternative. He selected fringe contender Josh Padley, which turned out to be a mistake on his half, as he made Stevenson seem like a median fighter in a shedding effort.
No Zepeda, Now What?
Hearn needs to proceed together with his authentic plan of utilizing Zepeda as a stepping stone to get the Tank battle, nevertheless it’s unclear if that’ll occur. Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya has gone quiet about desirous to make the battle between Zepeda and Shakur. It’s comprehensible why.
Zepeda could make much more cash combating Tank Davis than dealing with Stevenson, who isn’t a PPV attraction, and the battle would create little or no fan curiosity. Furthermore, Shakur would run across the ring for 12 rounds like he did towards Edwin De Los Santos, taking part in a toddler playground keep-away recreation. That’s not attention-grabbing for fighters like Zepeda, Golden Boy, or the followers.
“I don’t think you’ll see him in the ring until the back end of summer, and we still want what was promised to us in the roadmap, which is [William] Zepeda,” stated Eddie Hearn to Chris Mannix’s YouTube channel about who he needs subsequent for Shakur Stevenson.
The Padley Fiasco
Shakur’s surgically repaired left hand was severely swollen in the course of the Padley battle, forcing him to make use of his proper hand for many of his energy punching. Though Stevenson may nonetheless use his left when throwing to the physique, he couldn’t use it to throw to the top.
“I had said I wanted Floyd Schofield, Zepeda and then Tank. If we go straight into Tank, that’s not a problem either. We would like the Zepeda fight. I think Shakur is getting better and better. People are queuing up to criticize Shakur. He had three days notice for Josh Padley,” stated Hearn, making excuses for Stevenson’s lackluster efficiency towards the electrician Padley.
Plan B Wanted
Hearn wants to start out fascinated about utilizing another person for Shakur’s subsequent opponent as a result of it’s painfully apparent that Golden Boy has NO curiosity in letting him battle Zepeda. These are extra practical choices for Shakur:
– Ernesto Mercado– Andy Cruz– Abdullah Mason– Raymond Muratalla– Edwin De Los Santos
“It wasn’t actually an excellent scenario to be in, and Padley can battle. It’s very tough while you’ve been gearing up for a foul blood battle with Floyd Schofield, after which impulsively, he’s out. This man [Padley] flies in, and also you’ve by no means actually seen him earlier than. You watch a bunch of footage. I assumed it was a great efficiency [from Shakur].
“He’s never broken a sweat [in his career]. He feels he’s the best fighter in the world, and he wants to try and prove it. That was always the plan,” stated Hearn when requested what Golden Boy Promotions are saying about making the battle between Zepeda and Shakur Stevenson.
“Zepeda is a good fighter and if he gets through the Farmer rematch [on March 29th], why not do the fight? You only wouldn’t do the fight if you didn’t think you could win, and I get that. There’s a lot of money at stake, and he’s [Zepeda] the mandatory for the world title. So, hopefully that fight will get made,” stated Hearn.
