Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda Set for WBC Lightweight Title Fight on July 12

Shakur Stevenson will put the WBC lightweight title on the line against William Zepeda on July 12, according to The Ring's Mike Coppinger and ESPN's Andreas Hale.

New York City is the site of the event, though a venue hasn't been decided.

Stevenson improved his professional record to 23-0 with a ninth-round TKO of Josh Padley in February. He's the No. 10 fighter in ESPN.com's pound-for-pound rankings.

In general, fans didn't come away too impressed with Stevenson's performance despite the decisive outcome. Padley replaced Floyd Schofield, who was originally scheduled to step inside the ring, only a few days out from the show, and he looked thoroughly overmatched.

Zepeda likewise didn't look dominant in his back-to-back wins over Tevin Farmer. He took a split decision last November in a fight that saw him knocked down in the fourth round, and the pair went the distance again in their March rematch.

Stevenson vs. Zepeda has been in the works for a while, and the passage of time may not have helped build up the anticipation for their eventual battle. Pitting a highly skilled counterpuncher against a fighter with 27 knockouts in 33 fights should at least make for a fun clash of styles.

Coppinger reported that the July 12 card will include Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, which will be a WBC super middleweight title eliminator.

Berlanga lost a unanimous decision to Canelo Álvarez last September but rebounded with a first-round knockout of Jonathan González Ortiz in March. Sheeraz won his first 21 professional bouts before a split decision with Carlos Adames ended the streak in February.