Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda: Preview & Betting Tips

The American is widely regarded as one of the most defensively gifted fighters in the sport, and he will look to slow the pace and control the rhythm of the fight using his evasiveness. His stiff jab and pinpoint counters can frustrate Zepeda and keep him from finding his usual offensive rhythm. 

But Zepeda’s high-output style and willingness to engage on the inside make him very dangerous in this one, especially if Stevenson backs straight up and gets caught on the ropes, which could see him eat a few solid straight lefts.

However, Stevenson rarely makes errors, which means his opponents very rarely have a window of opportunity to actually land anything remotely clean. The challenger will need to be perfect in his gameplan to set up some meaningful combinations, and it will have to be combos because you’d have to think throwing one punch at a time will make for an easy night for Stevenson, given his excellent defensive skills.

Stevenson vs Zepeda: Prediction & Betting Tips

Stevenson will use his jab to disrupt Zepeda’s rhythm, punish him with counters, and he’ll try to avoid exchanges on the inside. Unless the American gets drawn into a firefight, something he’s not shown in any of his fights thus far, this should be another showcase of his elite ability. 

Zepeda is a good fighter in his own right, but styles make fights and I just struggle to see the Mexican landing cleanly enough to hurt the American. 

I’m taking Shakur Stevenson to win by decision or technical decision at odds of 1.50. It’s not the greatest of odds, but it’s just simply the smartest play in this one.