William Zepeda’s pressure will force Shakur to fight, Farmer says

Tevin Farmer says Shakur Stevenson will have to really “fight” William Zepeda to win because he throws too many punches at him to avoid them all.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur will fight No. 1 Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) in 2025, provided he wins his title defense against Floyd Schofield on Feb. 22 in Riyadh. Shakur is confident he will defeat Zepeda, but Farmer has his doubts.

Zepeda’s volume drilling

He obviously knows that the hit-and-run style that Stevenson uses won’t keep Zepeda off him because he cuts the ring well and is willing to take shots to land his own. Shakur has no power, and will not be able to escape Zepeda without running.

This won’t work. He will look bad against Turki Alalshikh if ​​he tries this tactic against Zepeda in Riyadh.

With Zepeda’s high output volume of over 100 punches per round, Farmer claims Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) should fight him like he did in their matchup last month on November 16th. Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) tried to defend himself from Zepeda’s numerous shots, but to no avail.

Former IBF super featherweight champion Farmer was forced to fight him and couldn’t keep up, especially in the championship rounds.

Zepeda wore down Farmer with punches and volume to win a 10-round split decision. The scores were 95-95, 95-94 for Zepeda and 95-94 for Farmer. I watched the fight and had Zepeda winning 8-2. The judges who worked the fight didn’t seem to take into account the numerous body shots that Zepeda was landing in each round. They were only looking at headshots, which Farmer focused on.

Had it been a 12-round contest, he would have knocked Farmer out because the 34-year-old was exhausted in the ninth round and wouldn’t have gone the full twelve rounds without being stopped.

“Golden Boy is willing to do it. The only way the rematch won’t happen is if Zepeda’s team says no,” Tevin Farmer told the Cigar talk channel about the rematch he wants against William Zepeda after losing to him on November 16th.

“Golden Boy wants the rematch. I’m not saying nobody told me anything. I’m saying Golden Boy wants the rematch. I’m pretty sure Turki wants to get it. It was a hell of a fight.

“You have to make Zepeda respect you, because if you don’t, he’s going to keep moving forward,” Farmer said when asked how Shakur Stevenson would fare against William Zepeda.

Farmer’s hopes of a rematch with Zepeda are wishful thinking because Golden Boy won’t be pushing for that fight. They know the money fight, the one Zepeda needs and wants, is against Shakur. The farmer has nothing to offer Zepeda. He is not a champion and has lost his last two fights.

Farmer has to drop back down to super featherweight because he doesn’t have the power to beat the lightweights. If he stays in the 135-pound weight class, he will continue to lose and be forced out of the game.

Shakur warned Zepeda

“Zepeda is a pressure fighter, and he didn’t throw that many punches; it’s easy to pick someone off like that,” Farmer said. “It’s easy to pick off someone who gets close and doesn’t throw as many hits. When someone comes forward and throws that many punches, how many punches can you make someone miss, even with my defense?

“I’m one of the best defensive fighters. I can stand there and not get hit if I want to. I know I can’t do this because how many times can I slip? Yes, Shakur will have to fight (Zepeda). Shakur, to me, is one of the best in the world, but he’s going to have to fight,” Farmer said.

Zepeda forced Farmer to fight him as he was cutting off the ring and trapping him against the ropes. It was either Farmer had to fight, or he would have been knocked out by Zepeda. The same will happen with Shakur. He doesn’t have the power, toughness, or guts that Farmer has. There is no way Stevenson would have been able to land the kind of shots Farmer did against Zepeda without getting knocked out or running and holding.

“I’m not saying I have to do what I did. I’m built different. I have a chin, I can deliver and I can do all that. I’m not saying he (Shakur) can’t do it, but he’s going to have to fight,” Farmer said of how he is better than stevenson because he will actually put himself in the pocket and be willing to negotiate.

“I think I should have gotten the win. With the fall, that was the icing on the cake for me to finish it off. Everyone has their opinion, but I don’t care,” Farmer said of his belief. who did enough to deserve a win against Zepeda.