Shakur Stevenson came into his fight against William Zepeda with a few doubters questioning his skills. Was he a “Tom and Jerry” fighter, or was that blown out of proportion? 

At Louis Armstrong Stadium, the New Jersey-born fighter had a near-perfect performance against a hard-hitting opponent to retain the WBC lightweight title. The judges called it a unanimous decision scoring (118-110, 118-110, 119-109). 

Stevenson (24-0), usually reserved, started the fight off hot. He landed several combinations in the middle of the ring. Zepeda’s (33-1) game was landing for volume, especially by the ropes. Stevenson managed to play it with plenty of success. He rocked Zepeda at various points. 

Round three was Zepeda’s best round, managing to damage the face of Stevenson. Toward the end of the round, Stevenson was pushed back to the shock of the crowd. It was the last significant effort from Zepeda. 

To his credit, Zepeda’s volume shots resulted in the most punches landed against Stevenson in his pro career. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter, as accuracy was key. And that’s where Stevenson thrives. 

The 28-year-old Stevenson controlled the rest of the fight, landing combination hooks and counter shots that brushed Zepeda back. Stevenson played possum and aggressively went after Zepeda. It was a star-making performance that showed he can play with power. A performance nobody can nitpick. 

MORE: Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz results, highlights

The multi-division champion continues to hold onto the lightweight title he won in 2023. Up next for him could be a unification fight against Raymond Muratalla or Gervonta Davis, the latter dealing with legal issues.

Stevenson could also face Floyd Schofield, who had to back out of a planned fight due to illness. 

The Sporting News provided results from the Ring III fight card. 

Ring III full card results

• Hamzah Sheeraz def. Edgar Berlanga via KO (0:17 into round five)
• Shakur Stevenson (c) def. William Zepeda via unanimous decision for the WBC lightweight title (118-110, 118-110, 119-109)
• Subriel Matias def. Alberto Puello (c) via majority decision for the WBC super lightweight title (114-114, 115-113, 115-113)
• David Morrell def. Imam Khataev via split decision (94-95, 96-93, 95-94)
• Reito Tsutsumi def. Michael Ruiz via TKO (0:28 into round two)