Stevenson retains WBC lightweight title
Unbeaten Shakur Stevenson outlasted hard-hitting William Zepeda in a tough back-and-forth battle to retain his World Boxing Council lightweight world title on a unanimous decision on Saturday.
Stevenson, whose crafty defensive style hasn't always found favor with fans, withstood a relentless assault by the challenger and responded with efficient offense of his own to win comfortably on all three judges' cards.
Two scored it 118-110 and a third saw it 119-109 for Stevenson, who improved to 24-0 with 11 knockouts.
He handed Mexico's Zepeda his first career defeat. The 29-year-old fell to 33-1 with 27 wins inside the distance.
The fight was held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium -- better known as one of the show courts at the National Tennis Center that hosts the US Open in Flushing Meadows.
Stevenson, who won world titles at featherweight and super featherweight before capturing the WBC lightweight belt with a victory over Edwin De Los Santos in November 2023, was coming off a ninth-round technical knockout in February over Josh Padley -- who was a late replacement opponent.
On the same card, Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz stopped Puerto Rico's Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round of a high-profile super middleweight clash.
Sheeraz knocked down Berlanga twice in the fourth round, Berlanga rising to continue both times.
But after Sheeraz landed a combination early in the fifth that sent Berlanga to one knee, referee David Fields called a halt.
Sheeraz, fighting for the first time since a draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February, improved to 22-0 with one drawn and 18 wins inside the distance.
Berlanga fell to 23-2, suffering a second defeat in three fights. He dropped a lopsided decision to Canelo Alvarez in September before stopping Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in March.
Subriel Matias withstood a late surge by Alberto Puello to grab Puello's WBC super lightweight world title with a majority decision victory.
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