Stevenson Hands Zepeda First Pro Loss to Retain WBC Lightweight Belt

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Shakur Stevenson proved why he is on another level after becoming the first boxer to tarnish William Zepeda’s record, defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight championship belt on July 13, 2025, at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing, New York.

All Stevenson wanted to do was to show that he is a multi-dimensional fighter. After facing backlash during his past performances, where he won straight bouts due to his insane defensive skills, the young and upcoming pug showcased his offensive brilliance to out-point the aggressive Zepeda via a unanimous decision victory.

It was Zepeda who was on the front foot for the majority of the early rounds, hounding Stevenson with his long reach and his quick lateral movements.

He was able to pin the defending WBC lightweight king three times in the first six rounds, but his barrage of punches was quickly negated when Stevenson ducked under and used his left shoulder to roll out of danger and re-engage in the center of the ring.

Instead of backpedaling to pick his spots, Stevenson surprised the crowd when he fought fire with fire and tested Zepeda’s jaw by standing tall and pressing forward.

Stevenson was able to absorb some punches, but his on-point right shoulder spin escape act weaved magic at the start of the seventh round, which became his setup move for his lethal right hooks.

The match slowly favored Stevenson as Zepeda completely slowed down and felt exhaustion after using a lot of gas in the first six rounds.

When Stevenson sensed that Zepeda was trying to catch some air in rounds nine and 10, the clever tactician took advantage and sent a flurry of 1-2 combinations to widen his gap in the scorecards.

Zepeda attempted to redeem himself in the last two rounds, but the more fluid Stevenson closed the show with 11 efficient hits in the 12^th  frame, backstopped by sneaky jabs that were connecting at will to the challenger’s face.

All official ringside judges scored the contest in favor of the undefeated slugger, 118-110, 118-110, and 119-109, improving his pro win-loss record to 24 wins, 11 knockouts, without a loss.

On the other hand, Zepeda suffered his first defeat since turning pro, dropping to 33 wins, 27 knockouts, and a loss.