After spending the last few years studying him, William Zepeda knew Shakur Stevenson was smooth and hard to hit. What he didn’t know, however, was the type of power he had in his hands.

That’s always been the knock on the Olympic silver medalist. Some call him pillow-fisted, while others consider him boring.

Stevenson though, pointed to the fact that his hands continually gave him issues. Still, it never seemed to be enough to placate his naysayers. So, heading into his DAZN Pay-Per-View showdown on July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, Stevenson promised to make Zepeda respect his power.

He was right.

On the night of Ring III, Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) easily defended his WBC lightweight title via lopsided unanimous decision.

Covered in welts and bruises, Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) admitted that anyone who says Stevenson is lacking in the power department, simply don’t know what they’re talking about.

“He has good, solid power that kept me at a distance,” Zepeda told Kevin Garcia on KG TV. “If he didn’t have any hand problems, he would be a problem a little bit more but he has good above above-average power. Good sting.”

Ironically enough, Stevenson recently stated that he would like a little time off due to those reoccurring hand issues. His plan now is to rest, recover, and either return at the tail end of 2025 or get back in the mix at the beginning of 2026.

As for Zepeda, he doesn’t want a break. Of course, he has to get his body right and allow his wounds to heal. But once that happens, he plans on getting back in the gym and remaining there until he emerges as a better fighter.

“I just gotta keep working.”