Shakur Stevenson’s team, frustrated with the wait for an offer from Gervonta Davis, is now moving towards an exciting new fight. The three-division and WBC lightweight champion has verbally agreed to face the lightweight division’s top contender, Mexico’s William Zepeda.
The most likely date and venue for this highly anticipated fight is October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, set to take place under the main event featuring the undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh hinted at this potential bout in a social media post on Sunday. However, a Golden Boy spokesperson stated on Tuesday that "nothing has been agreed" to yet. Despite previous discussions about Stevenson signing with Golden Boy Promotions following the expiration of his contract with Top Rank on July 6, an official close to Stevenson confirmed that he will not be signing with De La Hoya's promotion.
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Stevenson had hoped his free agency would encourage Gervonta Davis to negotiate a deal, and there were even reports on social media suggesting such a possibility. However, Stevenson’s co-manager Josh Dubin told that after being asked by a Premier Boxing Champions official if Stevenson was interested in fighting Davis and replying affirmatively, they never received the promised follow-up call. With more than a week past the promised date of contact, Stevenson’s team decided to pivot towards Zepeda.
Zepeda, who is coming off a third-round knockout of Giovanni Cabrera on July 6, is expected to provide a formidable challenge for Stevenson. The 28-year-old power-punching left-hander will likely test Stevenson’s defensive skills, while Stevenson’s hand and foot speed will pose a unique challenge for Zepeda.
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