Shakur Stevenson’s success over William Zepeda has seen his reputation catapult to new heights.
On Saturday night, Stevenson successfully defended his WBC lightweight title against Zepeda in a thrilling bout.
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While Stevenson’s record went up to 24-0, he handed Zepeda his first professional defeat.
He was not only defending his title against Zepeda, but also fighting for his right to be viewed as one of the best in the world.
The 28-year-old certainly proved his worth, as he entered The Ring’s top 10 pound-for-pound rankings in spot No. 10 following the bout.
It sees him surpass unified WBA and WBC light-heavyweight king David Benavidez and taking his place on the list.
Benavidez’s rise to stardom has been marked by knockouts and dominant victories, with a perfect 30-0 record.
Although still undefeated, his lower activity and reduced visibility compared to others played a role in his removal from the rankings.
Stevenson managed to impress the masses on Saturday night, especially those in the boxing world who previously doubted his ability to produce entertaining clashes.
This includes the likes of heavyweight legend ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, who took on X to share his praise for Stevenson’s recent performance.
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His post reads: “In my opinion, Shakur Stevenson looked the best he ever looked in his last fight.
“Those masterful combinations and head movements. He’s still young and doing that, and he looked superb.”
While the American is an intelligent boxer, he has been criticised for fighting in a way that seems to avoid getting in harms way.
He was accused of lacklustre performances over recent years, from Edwin De Los Santos in 2023 to Artem Harutyunyan in 2024.
In his first outing of 2025, against Brit Josh Padley, things began to pick up again for Stevenson as he showcased his speed and power.
But he took his time to stop a late replacement, and a fair share of critics still took to social media to berate his dominant display.
The Ring’s latest pound-for-pound rankings
Below is the top 10 in the P4P rankings according to The Ring:
- OLEKSANDR USYK
- NAOYA INOUE
- TERENCE CRAWFORD
- DMITRY BIVOL
- ARTUR BETERBIEV
- JUNTO NAKATANI
- JESSE RODRIGUEZ
- CANELO ALVAREZ
- KENSHIRO TERAJI
- SHAKUR STEVENSON
Tyson continued on X: “Everybody wants him to show people he can take a punch, but the art is hit and not get hit.
“That’s boxing, and that [Zepeda] was the best fighter he ever fought. The fight was tough, and he beat him with no problem.”
Stevenson’s recent performance in the ring left no room for the ‘Tom and Jerry’ criticism, as he fought back every time he was hit with a tricky shot.
Hopes will now be that he moves on to huge clashes against the likes of Gervonta Davis and Conor Benn.
