Shakur Stevenson Has Only One Goal in Mind Amid Turki Alalshikh’s Warning Message for Boxing’s Runners

If you know it’s your last fight under a promotional banner, the only way to pull away is to give your absolute best. And that’s exactly what Shakur Stevenson intends to do on July 12 in New York. “Shakur Stevenson has one goal in mind when he defends his WBC lightweight world title against William Zepeda ” posted The Ring Magazine on Instagram just hours ago. That goal became clear last month when Shakur Stevenson sat down with Mike Coppinger for an interview. When asked how he plans to handle Zepeda, a pressure fighter known for his high volume, body work, and physical strength, the 27-year-old offered a glimpse into his strategic mindset heading into what might be his final fight under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing.

Shakur Stevenson initially responded with sarcasm when asked about the threat William Zepeda poses, joking, “I’m so scared, man. Like, I don’t think I ever been this scared a day in my life. Like, you got a guy just big, strong, physically. He’s coming in there to impose his will and, yeah, I’m very fearful of this fight. Yes.” The comment, dripping with sarcasm, prompted interviewer Mike Coppinger to follow up: “You’ve said it many times before that when your fights aren’t the most exciting, it’s not on you, right? You’re saying the opponents don’t want to engage. We know Zepeda likes to engage. So, are you excited for this kind of opponent?”

Stevenson responded with cautious realism, saying, “I mean, we’ll see. You know, these guys engage with other people, but they see me and they do something different. But William Zepeda is a hell of a fighter once again and you know, he said he going to stop me by the 10th round. So let’s see.” That led to another question from Coppinger: “You’re coming off a stoppage window of Josh Paddley. You were supposed to fight Floyd Scoffield, late replacement. Are you going for the stoppage against Zepeda? What kind of statement would that be?”

To that, Shakur Stevenson made his intentions clear: “I mean, at the end of the day, I’m coming in there to put belt to a**. I’m coming in there to perform and beat him up. But truthfully, I don’t go in there looking for stoppages. So, if it get like that, it get like that.”

As the conversation wrapped up, Coppinger asked, “Do you think this could be your toughest fight?” The 23-0 boxer admitted the possibility, saying, “Yeah, I mean, for sure. He got all the abilities and the will and the heart to be one of that. But it’s July 12th. We’ll see. It can be. I don’t know.” Coppinger acknowledged his answer, replying, “Right.” But pressed again, “But you’re basically saying you want your credit when the fight goes the way you think it’s going to.” That’s when Shakur Stevenson offered his most emphatic reply of the interview.

“I want my credit from all of y’all. I don’t want to hear nothing. I don’t want to hear, ‘Oh, he wasn’t that good. Oh, he had this.’ I don’t want to hear none of that sh-t. When I whoop his as–, I want y’all to just say, ‘I’m the best.’ That’s all I want,” he declared passionately. And now, with his new aggressive approach, Shakur Stevenson might finally deliver the kind of action His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has been yearning for from today’s boxers.

Shakur Stevenson drops the safety net in bid to impress Turki Alalshikh

The chairman of GEA issued what many perceived as a warning, making it clear he no longer wants to work with fighters who refuse to engage. “From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him. We can longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring. We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride!” HE Alalshikh posted on X, a few days ago. So, what prompted such a blunt message?

While HE Alalshikh didn’t name names, many believe he could be referring to Canelo Alvarez’s lackluster May 3rd bout against William Scull. Though Scull may have been the primary target of HE Alalshikh’s criticism, the boxing world was quick to speculate whether Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney were also being subtly called out.

Both fighters have long been criticized for their ultra-defensive styles. While the Newark native did stop Josh Paddley in the ninth round during his last appearance in Riyadh on February 22, with three body shot knockdowns prompting the corner to throw in the towel, fans still view him as more cautious than aggressive. The Dream, on the other hand, faced heavy backlash for his performance in Times Square, where he spent most of the fight on the move and rarely committed to offense against Jose Ramirez. While both men adhere to the “hit and not get hit” philosophy, it’s clear that kind of approach is beginning to clash with HE Alalshikh’s vision for the sport, especially when it comes to Riyadh Season’s high-stakes matchups and global fanfare.

With that said, the big question is: will the Saudi Royal still be interested in working with Shakur Stevenson on another Riyadh Season showcase? And most importantly, do you think Shakur Stevenson has what it takes to defeat the unbeaten William Zepeda?

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