De La Hoya mocks Stevenson’s fighting style, promoting Zepeda as an all-around alternative

Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya took a swipe at Shakur Stevenson on social media, telling him that William Zepeda, the lightweight entertainer, will throw more punches in the first round of his fight with Giovanni Cabrera on Saturday than Shakur will in his entire fight with Artem Harutyunyan overnight.

Shakur Stevenson’s Defense Style Under Fire

Many fans would agree with De La Hoya because Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs), the WBC lightweight champion, circles the ring, landing one shot before taking off again. With that fighting style, Stevenson rarely throws punches that are overhand unless he’s facing a hopeless opponent.

“Hey Shakur, I guarantee William Zepeda throws more punches in his first round on Saturday than in your entire fight,” said Oscar De La Hoya on X, mocking WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.

Undefeated William Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) is ranked #1 in the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO at lightweight, and is on the verge of a title shot against one of the four heavyweight champions. What is not clear is whether De La Hoya will push Zepeda to fight Shakur to get the WBC belt.

Zepeda’s High Volume Drilling Power

If Zepeda fights Shakur, he’s going to need a good set of tires because he’s going to have to chase him around the ring all night to get his tires. Shakur will not stand in front of Zepeda to hit high volume because that is not his style.

Stevenson’s style is similar to the classic version of Mayweather when he started to lose his temper, throwing one shot and running away to avoid return fire. This is one of the reasons why Shakur failed to become a PPV attraction. Fans don’t want to pay to see that style when there are so many exciting fighters to watch.

Zepeda faces Cabrera (22-1, 7 KOs) in the twelve-round main event this Saturday, July 7, live on DAZN from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

It’s a fight that allows Zepeda to show if he can beat another defensive fighter; Cabrera is tough to hit, and it’s going to take a lot of work for Zepeda to cross the ring to get to this guy to land his punches.

Stevenson’s Promotional Future and the Coming War

Shakur defends his WBC lightweight title for the first time this Saturday against Artem Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Stevenson needs to look good in this fight because he will be a non-promotional agent after that.