Will a Smaller Ring Help Zepeda Against Shakur? Expert Answers

Former world champion and current boxing analyst Timothy Bradley weighed in on comments from Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chief Turki Alalshikh about reducing the ring size for the fight between Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) and William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs).

“Turki Alalshikh is talking about shrinking the ring. I have mixed feelings about it. Shakur is just going to pour it on this guy. He’s going to give Zepeda the full treatment.

Shakur will do whatever he wants with him—if his hands hold up. Shakur has some of the most brittle hands I’ve ever seen; they’re like my three-year-old daughter’s hands.

The ring will be smaller. You’ve got a pressure fighter against a boxer who needs space. That will restrict Stevenson a bit, but it doesn’t mean Zepeda will know how to cut the distance properly. There’ll be less room to move, but Shakur should cope because of his boxing skills.

I’m expecting more of a brawl. This might take Shakur to a new level in a good way, because he’ll have to stand and trade more. He’ll have to. He’ll have to tie his man up more. He’ll have to stand and fight more often—and that’s fine,” Bradley said on his YouTube channel.

Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC Lightweight title against William Zepeda on 12 July in New York, USA. Detailed analysis and statistics on the matchup are available at the link.

Photo: DAZN