FLOAT LIKE A BEE SAME SKILLS, NEW THRILLS
The Ring: Shakur, congratulations on the victory. Can you break down the Zepeda performance for me? Did everything go as planned? Shakur Stevenson: Everything did go as planned, but I’m not a fan of my own performances, so I’m a hard critic of
rounds. I give him credit for that, too; he kind of forced me to fight at a faster pace. By the third round, I’m like, ‘Goddamn, we got how many more rounds to go?’ I had to trust in my conditioning and knew I was in good shape. I knew he’d tire out before me.
and was just showing how intelligent she is. I appreciate her.
The Ring: If you had to select your number one asset in the ring, what would it be? SS: My IQ. My IQ is higher than everybody’s. I mean, even yesterday, I
myself. I saw a lot of things that I can work on. It was an OK performance, but I appreciate the fans for realizing that I’m a lot different from what they thought. There’s definitely room for improvement, though. The Ring: What are the things that you could have improved upon? SS: I could have had a little bit more water, man. (laughs) We were fighting in the heat
was watching boxing, critiquing opponents that I’ll probably fight in the future. I was studying them and picking up on the things that they do wrong. With the Zepeda fight, if you paid attention, I was telling you exactly how the fight was going to go. I explained that Zepeda was the kind of guy who would take me to another level and bring out a side of me that the world hadn’t seen. It happened
“My IQ is 100 years above these fighters and it’ll take me above them every time.”
The Ring: Did Zepeda surprise you with anything else that he did? SS: He was exactly what I expected and what I prepared for. The only thing that surprised me was the subtle defensive moves he made. He would do little defensive things to make me miss some of the big shots I was throwing. I was thinking that every time I load up, I was going to hit him, but he made defensive moves that I do give him credit for. The Ring: What did you do after the fight? Was it party time in New York? SS: No, I’m not big on partying. I will party, but that ain’t the first thing I think about. I want to spend time with my family. You gotta realize, with these training camps, you’re away from your family for so long, my first instinct is to go chill with my daughter. I like to enjoy her company, so we had a 24-hour car trip from New York to Houston. The Ring: What was the punishment for your daughter interrupting your post- fight interview? SS: She ain’t had no iPad for a week … Nah, I’m just bullshitting. No punishment. There should have been something for jumping in my damn interview. (laughs) No, my baby is just very intelligent. She had a good time
and I don’t think I hydrated properly. I should have focused on that a little more. It’s the little things. My IQ is there and my skills are there, one hundred percent. It was just the rehydration part. I could have handled that a bit different. The Ring: This fight had been eagerly anticipated for some time. Zepeda was the No. 1 challenger with all four governing bodies. How did you feel after securing victory? SS: I felt good. Zepeda is a helluva fighter, and I got to give him credit. I ain’t never been in there with a fighter that punched on my body as much as he did, so I felt that after the fight. I was very sore. I’m not saying he’s the most skillful guy, but he’s got more will and heart than a lot of these fighters that I’ve ever been in the ring with. He wanted to win, so I respect him. The Ring: Zepeda did have success, and we’re not accustomed to seeing you absorb punishment. How long did it take for you to recover from the fight? SS: I wasn’t hurt at all. It wasn’t that I had to recover from anything. It was a fight, so I had to stay strong mentally and trust in my conditioning, because the fight started fast in the first three
just like I said. My IQ is 100 years above these fighters and it’ll take me above them every time. The Ring : What fighters were you watching yesterday? SS: (smiles) I can’t tell nobody. I gotta keep it to myself; it’s a secret. We’ll see when my next fight is announced. But, yeah, I’ve been paying attention to one of the opponents that I’ll be fighting. The Ring: You’re so defensively sound that I’ve never seen you truly hammered by a power punch. Have you ever been dazed or shaken up? SS: No, I ain’t never been dazed. I’ve been caught with body punches that I’ve felt, but other than that, nothing. I’m actually kind of curious to see what it feels like, because everybody explains it to me in a certain way. I hope it happens one day, then I’ll show you that I can recover. The Ring: Don’t you have any concerns about facing it when the time comes? SS: No, I’ve got the toughness and the durability. I train so hard and put myself through all of this torture and pain, so I’m prepared. If somebody brings something, I’ll counter it, and if I do get buzzed or hurt, then my
O ver the past eight years, Shakur Stevenson has experienced nothing but success in the ring. A three-weight titleholder with a perfect 24-0 record, the super-skilled southpaw from Newark is widely regarded as one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. However, sometimes you can be too perfect. Stevenson has so much ring intelligence and defensive finesse that he can make world-class opponents look mediocre. The big punchers can’t land a decisive blow, while the boxers struggle desperately to impose their skills against him. The downside of that in the past was that Stevenson’s victories began to feel repetitive to the point where some fans bitterly demanded action. Enter top lightweight contender William Zepeda. With a 33-0 record, Zepeda possessed
Stevenson made his point with a spirited and skilled display.
a pressure-packed, high-volume fighting style that Stevenson hadn’t encountered as a professional. At 29 years old, the Mexican contender was in his prime, loaded with confidence and hungry to separate the WBC 135-pound titleholder from his senses. On July 12 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, Stevenson sent a powerful message to everyone in boxing, especially Zepeda. Instead of using quick feet to stay away, he stood in the pocket, rolled with the punches and released sharp counters. Instead of pot-shotting his way to victory, Stevenson strung together multi-punch combinations designed to do damage. He was sizzling! While the scoring was too wide for some, Stevenson proved that he was the better man by far and claimed a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision triumph (119-109, 118-110, 118-110). This was the best the young American
hotshot has looked since he defrocked the previously unbeaten Oscar Valdez in a junior lightweight unification fight in April 2022. It's not always about if you win, it’s about how you win, and fight fans around the world were dazzled by Stevenson’s display. The “runner” tag has now taken a back seat, while genuine excitement surrounds what’s potentially coming next as Stevenson plots his course through arduous lightweight terrain. The Ring caught up with the 135-pound king, who was not at a loss for words about Zepeda, potential future opponents, his good friend Terence Crawford, and, oh … Sugar Ray Robinson:
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