Farmer says William Zepeda pressure will force Shakur to fight

Tevin Farmer says Shakur Stevenson has to “fight” William Zepeda to win because Zepeda throws too many punches and he can't avoid them all.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur will face top-ranked Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) in 2025, provided he defeats Floyd Scourge on February 22 in Riyadh Field successfully defended his title. Shakur is confident of beating Zepeda, but Farmer has doubts.

Volume Punch by Zepeda

He obviously knew the hit-and-run style Stevenson was employing wasn't going to keep Zepeda away from him, as he cut off the ring well and he was willing to land the shots. Shakur has no strength at all and he can't escape Zepeda without running.

That won't work. If he tries this tactic against Zepeda in Riyadh, he will look bad in front of Turki Alalshikh.

With Zepeda throwing over 100 punches per round, Farmer said Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) will have to fight him just like he did in last month's clash on Nov. 16. Farmer (33 wins, 7 draws, 1 loss, 8 KOs) tried to defend Zepeda's many shots, but to no avail.

Former IBF super featherweight champion Farmer was forced to fight him and he simply couldn't keep up, especially in the title match.

Zepeda used his body punches and volume to defeat Farmer, winning a 10-round split decision. The score was 95-95, Zepeda 95-94, Farmer 95-94. I watched the game and Zepeda won 8-2. It seemed like the judges in charge of this fight didn't take into account the numerous body shots that Zepeda was getting hit in every round. They just looked at the headshots, while Farmer focused on the headshots.

If this had been a 12-round fight, he would have knocked out Farmer because the 34-year-old Farmer was exhausted in the ninth round and could not go the full 12 rounds without being stopped.

“Golden Boy is willing to make it happen. The only way the rematch won't happen is if Zepeda's team says no,” Tevin Farmer told Cigar Talk about his desire for a rematch with William Zepeda after losing to William Zepeda on November 16.

“Golden Boy wants a rematch. I'm not saying no one told me anything. I'm saying Golden Boy wants a rematch. I'm pretty sure Turki wants to make it. It's a tough fight.

“You have to make Zepeda respect you, because if you don't, he's going to move on,” Farmer said when asked how Shakur Stevenson would fare against William Zepeda.

Hopes for a rematch between Farmer and Zepeda are wishful thinking as Golden Boy will not push for the fight. They knew the money fight Zepeda needed and wanted was against Shakur. Farmer has nothing to offer Zepeda. He is not a champion and has lost his last two fights.

Farmer needs to move back to super featherweight because he lacks the power to beat the lightweights. If he remains in the 135-pound weight class, he will continue to miss weight and be forced to withdraw from the competition.

Shakur issues warning to Zepeda

“Zepeda is a pressure fighter, he doesn't throw that many punches; it's easy to tell guys apart like that,” Farmer said. “It's easy to provoke someone who comes forward and doesn't throw that many punches. When someone comes forward and throws that many punches, even with my defense, how many punches can you get someone to throw?

“I'm one of the best defensive fighters. If I wanted to, I could stand there and not get hit. I know I can't because how many punches can I dodge? Yeah, Shakur will have to Not fighting [Zepeda]. To me, Shakur is one of the best players in the world, but he has to fight,” Farmer said.

Zepeda forced Farmer to fight him as he was cutting through the ring and trapping him in the ropes. Either Farmer had to fight, or he would be knocked out by Zepeda. The same thing will happen with Shakur. He didn’t have Farmer’s strength, tenacity or courage. There's no way Stevenson can make the kind of shot Farmer did against Zepeda without getting knocked down or running and defending.

“I'm not saying he has to do what I do. I was born different. I have the chin, I can deliver, I can do it all. I'm not saying he [Shakur] No, but he's going to have to fight,” Farmer said of how he's better than Stevenson because he'll actually stand in the pocket and be willing to trade.

“I feel like I deserve the win. With the knockout, that's the icing on the cake for me. Everybody has their opinion, but I don't care,” Farmer said of his belief that he's done enough things to win against Zepeda.