Eddie Hearn says he’s been informed light-weight contender William Zepeda will battle Tevin Farmer subsequent, not George Kambosos Jr., earlier than the top of the 12 months.
Zepeda is reportedly preventing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, subsequent. So, if it’s Farmer that he’s dealing with, they’ll receives a commission effectively, giving Zepeda an opportunity to indicate off his expertise in opposition to the previous IBF tremendous featherweight champion.
Matchroom promoter Hearn says he’d been informed that Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) wouldn’t be obtainable to battle by November as a result of his spouse was having a baby. Hearn had wished #1 WBC Zepeda to face his just lately signed fighter, light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson.
As a substitute, Hearn was compelled to dig up one other opponent for Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) to battle on October twelfth, Joe Cordina, and he’s been coping with a backlash ever since. Cordina was knocked out within the eighth spherical final Could and has by no means fought at 135. You couldn’t discover a worse opponent for Shakut to battle for those who tried, and Hearn stepped into it with this transfer.
Farmer’s Resurgence
The 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) is coming off a razor-close ten-round unanimous choice loss to Raymond Muratalla on July thirteenth in Las Vegas.
Going into that battle, many boxing followers felt that the heavy-handed and far youthful 27-year-old Muratalla would blow Farmer out of the water based mostly on his energy. However surprisingly, Farmer outboxed Muratalla in lots of rounds, exhibiting expertise he may want to have. Farmer regarded in classic former, exhibiting no indicators of age, and again to the place he was earlier than title loss to Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz on July 30, 2020.
“We have been a bit disenchanted as a result of I talked to Shakur, Josh Duban, and the fellows in the present day, and we have been informed that [William] Zepeda wouldn’t be obtainable in October, November, or September as a result of he was having a baby,” mentioned Eddie Hearn to the iFL TV website about William Zepeda not being obtainable to battle just lately signed Matchroom fighter, WBC light-weight champion
Shakur’s Dodged Bullet
It’s maybe a very good factor that Zepeda is preventing Farmer subsequent reasonably than Shakur. Hearn would possibly see it as a nasty factor that Shakur isn’t preventing Zepeda this 12 months, however he’s not prepared for this type of a high-pressure, high-volume fighter. Shakur, 27, is just too weak and may’t deal with stress effectively with out taking off operating.
“Now, we’re listening to I consider he’s going to battle Tevin Farmer. I believed he [Zepeda] was going to battle George Kambosos, however he’s not preventing George Kambosos. I hear it’s Tevin Farmer. We have been able to go straight into that Zepeda battle, however possibly they’re not. So, we’ll see,” mentioned Hearn.
If you happen to’re Hearn, it is best to maintain Shakur away from Zepeda till after he will get the large payday battle in opposition to Gervonta Davis in 2025. Shakur won’t beat Zepeda with out controversy. It might be an analogous battle to Shakur’s match in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos, the place he hits and runs all night time, and judges give him a doubtful choice. Shakur can’t beat a fighter like Zepeda by buying and selling, and he can be compelled to remain on his bike to win an unsightly choice in a boo-filled battle.
The Albatross
Hearn must let Shakur go after his two fights are up with Matchroom reasonably than pouring extra money into this albatross. If Shakur can get the Tank battle in his second conflict of his two-fight cope with Matchroom, that’s good.
Hearn can then wash his fingers of Shakur after he loses that battle. U.S. followers don’t need to see Shakur preventing Zepeda together with his hit-and-run type, particularly if this match might be offered on PPV, like Stevenson’s headliner in opposition to the just lately knocked-out Cordina on October twelfth. Shakur received’t stand and battle Zepeda as a result of he’ll get obliterated inside three rounds.
