Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda have been officially instructed by the WBC to begin negotiating a lightweight title fight, launching a 30-day window that concludes on May 6. Should the two sides fail to reach an agreement by then, the bout would move to a purse bid, with Stevenson entitled to a 70-30 split based on his status as the WBC lightweight titleholder.
A three-division champion Stevenson expressed dissatisfaction over a revised offer for the proposed clash, one he claims is $2 million less than what was on the table when a Zepeda fight was first discussed last year. According to comments Stevenson posted online, he expected a larger sum from Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and remains upset about the new financial terms. Stevenson, represented by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, has urged Zepeda’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, to negotiate directly and find a more suitable arrangement.
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Zepeda is coming off a narrow majority-decision win over Tevin Farmer on March 29. The Mexican power puncher had been widely recognized as the leading contender at lightweight among the four major sanctioning bodies before capturing the WBC interim title. De La Hoya says he wants to make the fight but believes the finances will decide if it happens, noting that Stevenson has been offered a career-high purse and should seize the chance.
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