Shakur Stevenson scoffed as he read comments William Zepeda made to The Ring about their upcoming lightweight title fight in New York.

Zepeda stated Stevenson isn't as courageous as Tevin Farmer, the recent opponent he credited for standing and trading with him in back-to-back bouts. Zepeda won by split and majority decisions. Stevenson, who holds the WBC lightweight title, also took issue with Zepeda predicting that he will stop him July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.

"Zepeda, I remember everything you just said. 'Oh, Shakur won't exchange with me. Oh, Shakur don't have the balls like Tevin Farmer,'" Stevenson told The Ring. "Remember these things bro, so when we get in that [expletive] mix right there, and I'm beating yo ass, don't be surprised. Just don't be surprised. That's all I'll say."

DraftKings lists Stevenson as a 12-1 favorite over Zepeda in a "Ring III" pay-per-view bout DAZN will distribute in the United States ($59.99; 6 p.m. ET) and the United Kingdom (£24.99; 11 p.m. BST). Mexico's Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs), mandatory challenger for Stevenson’s title, is still considered a dangerous opponent because the powerful southpaw relentlessly pressures opponents and rarely stops throwing punches.

Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) warned, however, after reading more critical comments from Zepeda that he is actually a harder puncher. Zepeda’s knockout ratio (82 percent) is much higher than that of Stevenson (48 percent), but the three-division champion from Newark, New Jersey, believes those statistics are deceiving.

"I punch harder than you," Stevenson said. "I guarantee you, I punch way harder than you. You got 27 knockouts. I got 11 knockouts, and I punch harder than you. Remember that."

Four of Stevenson's past six fights have gone all 12 rounds. Stevenson is also one of boxing's most effective defensive fighters and hasn't been knocked down.

That didn't deter Zepeda from promising he will knock out the 2016 Olympic silver medalist.

Zepeda feels he needs to knock out Stevenson because it will be difficult for him to win a decision near his home turf. Stevenson has boxed three times in New York since he turned pro eight years ago, but not since he easily outboxed Puerto Rico's Christopher Diaz and won their 10-rounder by unanimous decision in April 2019 at Madison Square Garden.

"If you ain't stopped the last opponent that you went in there with [Farmer], what makes you think you gonna stop me? That [expletive] just sounds stupid, you just talking. I know when [people] just be talking, now he know he is. He been in there with me before, he know."