Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda Live Winners and Losers, Full Card Results
It was another fight show. But not just another fight venue.
Reigning lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson took center stage, sort of, for the third defense of his WBC belt against challenger William Zepeda at Louis Armstrong Stadium on the grounds of the national tennis center in Queens, N.Y.—home of the annual U.S. Open tournament.
It was a "sort of" situation for Stevenson because he wasn't actually in the night's final fight, instead facing Zepeda in the co-feature alongside the main event that included 168-pound contenders Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz, ranked in the top 10 by three of the four most recognized sanctioning bodies.
The B/R combat team was in place to take in the entire show and delivered a real-time list of its definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Winner: Showing His Stuff
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Stevenson is a skillful technician and a polarizing personality.
And whaddya know? Turns out he’s a fighter, too.
The three-division champ was dragged into the trenches and had to fight his way out against Zepeda, ultimately emerging with the most offensively impressive night of his career in defense of his WBC 135-pound title.
The New Jersey-based southpaw kept both his belt and his unbeaten record by unanimous decision, earning 10, 10 and 11 rounds on the three ringside scorecards.
The B/R card had it 116-112, or eight rounds to four, for Stevenson.
“Sometimes it takes the right opponent to bring out the best in a superstar fighter and Zepeda appeared to be the ideal opposite number,” blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley said. “But at the end of the day, class tells.”
Stevenson spent much of the early going along the ropes and in a defensive shell as Zepeda delivered flurries, occasionally landing flush but more often connecting with the champion’s arms and shoulders or missing entirely. Stevenson worked more from the center of the ring and off his front foot as the fight evolved and his cleaner, more precise shots began leaving more of an impression than his foe’s work rate.
“I came in here to prove a point. I told y’all, I got dog in me,” Stevenson said. “He came in and pushed me to another level. I had to go in my bag. He just kept coming. I had to stay off the ropes and pick my punches.”
Winner: Long Live the King
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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new “King of New York.”
The British-born Sheeraz brutally knocked the crown off self-professed ruler Berlanga’s head, dropping him twice with combinations in the fourth round before finishing with another volley early in the fifth.
It was a sudden finish to a desultory fight for the unbeaten 26-year-old, who’d sustained his first career blemish with a draw against Carlos Adames at 160 pounds in February, a misstep that prompted a move to 168 and a shift to trainer Andy Lee.
The official end came 17 seconds into the fifth when Sheeraz drilled Berlanga with a left-right-left combination that left the Puerto Rican hunched over as referee David Fields intervened. He’d all but ended it shortly before, initially dropping Berlanga to the floor with a left-right-left combination and doing it again with a left-right follow.
Berlanga wobbled to his corner at the bell and was clearly still compromised as the fifth began. The loss was his second in three fights after he’d started with 22 consecutive victories and 17 KOs.
The initial defeat came last summer against Canelo Alvarez, who could be next in line for Sheeraz now that the win made him the WBC’s mandatory title challenger.
“Canelo’s always been a boxing hero of mine. For my name to be mentioned is a tremendous honor,” Sheeraz said. “But if I fight him, I’m not going in there to nick it on points. I will stay in the middle and have it out with him.”
Loser: Looking Victorious
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Subriel Matias didn’t look like a winner.
He gasped for breath several moments after the final bell, bled from a jagged cut over his left eye, and simply didn’t show the excitement of a guy who thought he’d won.
Nevertheless, he left the ring with a WBC title belt over his shoulder thanks to the majority decision he was gifted after a grueling 12 rounds with Alberto Puello.
One judge called it dead even at 114-114, while the other two tipped the scales with 115-113 tallies that made Matias a two-time champ in the 140-pound weight class.
The B/R card had it 115-113 for Puello, giving him seven of 12 rounds thanks to a busier stretch drive and 36 minutes of effective countering and defense.
“Alberto Puello came here with an unblemished record,” analyst Sergio Mora said. “I really think the judges got this one wrong.”
It was Matias’ 23rd win in 25 career fights and the first time he went the distance to win a fight after 22 KOs. He was the IBF champion in 2023 and into 2024 before losing the belt to Liam Paro, who was dethroned by Richardson Hitchins in December.
Matias landed 210 of 564 punch attempts compared to 205 lands in 470 tries for Puello, who lost for the first time after scoring 10 KOs in his first 24 fights.
“I thought the champion was scoring even in retreat,” analyst Antonio Tarver said. “If you want to take it out of the judges’ hands, you’ve got to get him out of there.”
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Winner: Lowering the Bar
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Initially, David Morrell wanted to win and look good.
But ultimately, he was just happy with the W.
The Cuban-born light heavy was back after a first loss in February and was expected to handle rugged Russian export Imam Khataev, but he encountered far more difficulty than anticipated on the way to escaping with a split decision in a spirited 10-rounder.
The 27-year-old had to climb off the deck for the first time in his career in the fifth after taking a hard right hand, but he began landing with more volume down the stretch.
Two judges gave him seven and six rounds, respectively, while the dissenting judge saw it five rounds apiece, but handed Khataev a 95-94 nod thanks to the knockdown.
The B/R card agreed with the majority and had it 95-94 for Morrell.
Mora and fellow analyst Chris Mannix thought Khataev had done enough, but Tarver, a former two-division world champion, edged it for Morrell.
“I felt that if David Morrell came out and controlled that last round,” Tarver said, “then he’d have a chance to pull out that fight.”
Winner: Playing the Part
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Reito Tsutsumi made his pro debut two months ago at Times Square and was billed as the second coming of Naoya Inoue and Manny Pacquiao but wound up going six rounds to score a desultory decision over a no-name opponent.
This time, though, the 22-year-old certainly looked the part.
The Japanese southpaw scored two body-shot knockdowns in the first round against late-notice sub Michael Ruiz, then kept the momentum going in the second with a straight left that yielded another knockdown and prompted a surrender after just 28 seconds.
Ruiz was no monster at 2-7-1 and with less than two weeks notice, but it hardly detracted from the performance of Tsutsumi, who dropped him with rights and lefts to the body in the first and finished his work with a left to the jaw.
“That’s an A-plus performance, what else do you need?” Mora said. “He came up like a typhoon and tidal wave of destruction.”
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Hamzah Sheeraz def. Edgar Berlanga by TKO, 0:17, Round 5
Shakur Stevenson def. William Zepeda by unanimous decision (118-110, 118-110, 119-109)
Subriel Matias def. Alberto Puello by majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 115-113)
David Morrell def. Imam Khataev by split decision (94-95, 96-93, 95-94)
Reito Tsutsumi def. Michael Ruiz by TKO, 0:28, Round 2
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