The featherlight champion of WBC Shakur Stevenson and the obligatory William Zepeda must start negotiations by a sanction body with a handbag offer scheduled for May 6, if they are unable to submit a contract.
27 -year -old Shakur hopes to take advantage of this fight to prepare for a unification match with Gervont Davis. He could make a mistake because Zepeda has a style that would cut a featherlight Shakur and beat him badly.
Farmer warning
Stevenson could not do things that Tevin Farmer was able to do with Zepeda in his two fights because he has no impact strength and shortbread. The farmer was warned by Shakur It is hard to cope with Zepeda’s pressure on social media.
“Trust me when I tell you. Although (most) in the world she thought that I beat Zepeda twice, this production would give everyone great trouble, unless you destroy it. I told you the first,” said Tevin Farmer to make Shakur join X.
Shakur replied: “Do you want to bet on it some money?”
The farmer may not be possible to talk about Shakur’s head, because his victory over the tender opposition, with which he has been fighting for the last five years, made him too confident. Of course, there is a limit of Stevenson’s false confidence, because we have already seen that he did not want to fight Andy Cruz and Jadier Herrera.
When you see Shakura attacking Josh Padley, Joe Cordina and Floyd Schofield instead of these two Cubans, he tells you that his confidence is a false variety.
The probable reason he is interested in fighting Zepeda is that he knows that he needs at least one solid win in featherlight to have a chance to fight Tank Davis. Stevenson’s performance against Edwin de Los Santos was so delicate that it was not useful for him to utilize positive pressure to fight the tank.
Shakura’s last victories over Padley and Harutyunyan were also useless to him, because these two fighters were too indigent to facilitate him. To have a chance to fight Gervont, Shakur needs Zepeda. It’s about the tank.
Stevenson needs a victory over William Zeda to facilitate him confirm in the eyes of society, networks, promoters and tank. However, he is not crazy enough to fight Andy Cruz or Jadier Herrera and be exposed. He knows that he has a better chance against Zepeda, but he can find out how he made a mistake.
Power difference
What the farmer did against Zepeda, Stevenson cannot do because he has no power, size or strength of Tevin. The farmer is a much stronger warrior than Shakur, and his impact resistance is perfect. Shots that the farmer made from Zepeda in both fights would pull out Shakur.
Shakur would eliminate the hit that a farmer landed to Zepeda. You can argue that a farmer is a better warrior than Shakur, but he does not get recognition, because he is not a braggart, he does not publish 24/7 on X and there is no Eddie Hearn in interviews.
Many fans on social media suspect that Miller is once again chasing Joshua just to secure a huge payday, which he threw away when failed drug tests canceled their 2019 fight.
Joshua wants a tune-up before he finally meets Tyson Fury. The plan is to shake off the rust and keep his record pristine before this huge event happens. This gap in the schedule gives other heavyweights a chance to make their voices heard, and Miller takes advantage of the moment.
Miller is still a controversial name, but he knows how to cause offense. Beating Pero would aid him prove that he still belongs in this conversation.
“Your whooping cough will come sooner or later. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Jarrell Miller said on Matchroom.
From a business perspective, Joshua’s team is focused on the Tyson Fury event. Facing an aggressive, volume hitter like Miller in a comeback fight would be risky. If Joshua wins, critics may view it as defeating a challenger who has spent years outside the elite mix. If he loses, Fury’s payout and his position will take damage.
Miller has built much of his reputation on noise and confrontation, but he’s still trying to fight his way into the majors. A victory over Pero won’t put him in a fight with Joshua right away, but it will keep him in the wider discussion.
Joshua’s team may still choose the safer and more controlled option of a return, especially if negotiations with Fury progress behind the scenes. Risking that payday against a hazardous or inconvenient opponent wouldn’t make much sense.
Still, Miller continues to cling to the story whenever Joshua’s name resurfaces in the headlines. Heavyweight boxing has a long memory, and some unfinished fights remain useful long after the first fall.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most vital fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Terence Crawford has named an opponent he would “love to face” with Gervonta Davis in his expected return to the sport.
The former world champion hasn’t fought since March 2025, when many felt he was lucky to draw with Lamont Roach.
Nevertheless, “Tank” retained the WBA lightweight title and was scheduled to face Roach in an immediate rematch before negotiating an exhibition match with Jake Paul.
But instead of spending time with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, Davis was forced to deal with domestic violence allegations from his former partner, Courtney Rossel.
Davis, however, has expressed greater interest in a rematch with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at 140 pounds, even though he passed the Mexican in 2021.
Meanwhile, Crawford has no desire to watch “Tank” fight Schofield or Cruz, but he would happily sit back and watch him clash with Shakur Stevenson.
I’m talking to Danielle Pirello“Bud” called the WBO super lightweight world champion the perfect opponent for Davis, believing their potential meeting would be one of the best fights that could be had.
“I’d like to see Shakur vs. ‘Tank’ Davis.”
Stevenson had previously called on Davis to sign a contract several times, perhaps making him increasingly doubtful whether the Baltimore player would ever sign.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect an immediate fight between “Tank” and Stevenson, especially after the latter’s dominant performance against Teofimo Lopez in January.
Two credible opponents emerged after Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua finally fell after an eight-year battle for the fight.
As World Boxing News documents from start to finish, after nearly a decade of back-and-forth, a Wilder-Joshua fight is no longer an option.
Joshua now has bigger fish to fry in the UK in 2026 as the former two-time heavyweight champion pushes for a British superfight with Tyson Fury.
Promoter Eddie Hearn effectively ruled out Wilder as a warm-up opponent, leaving the Londoner’s next moves without the “Brown Bomber” involved.
After the summer warm-up, Fury’s double will follow and by the time Joshua is finally free, Wilder will be 42 years aged.
This causes Wilder to look elsewhere.
Deontay Wilder’s opponents
Joshua’s compatriot Moses Itauma has already called for a fight, putting himself in a risky clash with one of the best fighters in the division.
Itauma is already shunned and would be seen as a bad turn for Wilder.
However, what stands out is a potential Pay-Per-View showdown in the United States with Andy Ruiz Jr.
The two were linked to fights between 2020 and 2023, when, ironically, the Tyson Fury trilogy stalled before Ruiz’s contract situation made any agreement impossible.
As previously reported by WBN, talks on financial terms were finally broken off when the fight was already clearly decided.
The interest never went away. WBN also revealed how fan demand for the Wilder vs. Ruiz match had skyrocketed, generating millions of views as fans insisted that the fight would finally happen.
Now, after their September showdown at Allegiant Stadium, Wilder vs. Ruiz is the front-runner if either fighter is to return to the heavyweight world title hunt.
Following Joshua’s departure from the table, Wilder’s next move is under scrutiny and calls for a rematch with Derek Chisora are met with an extremely lukewarm reception.
Whether he takes on an emerging name like Itauma or returns to unfinished business with Ruiz, this decision will impact how he re-enters the heavyweight scene.
The title isn’t out of the question for Wilder, but the next move has to be the right one.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has interviewed world champions, published exclusive international performances and reported on in-ring performances. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.