Eddie Hearn has a healthy respect for Tevin Farmer.

The former IBF junior lightweight champion was one of the first American boxers to sign with Matchroom Boxing once Hearn’s company aligned with DAZN in 2018. The southpaw from Philadelphia went 4-1 in 130-pound title fights on Matchroom cards during a busy 15-month span that was both profitable for Farmer and helpful for Hearn’s company as it tried to build its stable in the United States.

Hearn readily admits, though, that Farmer isn’t Shakur Stevenson. He considers Stevenson superior in virtually every way, which is why Stevenson’s promoter expects the unbeaten WBC lightweight champion to do with William Zepeda what Farmer couldn’t accomplish in their two bouts when they fight July 12 on The Ring’s pay-per-view card at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.

“I actually think Shakur’s gonna stop Zepeda,” Hearn told The Ring’s Rick Reeno during a lengthy interview posted to The Ring’s YouTube channel Wednesday. “And I know that people, you know, have this kind of perception that Shakur is not a puncher and, you know, he just fights off the back foot. Yeah, don’t get me wrong – he’s technically fantastic. But I think the style of Zepeda will suit him and I think he’ll pick him off and I think he’ll hurt him to the body, and I think he’ll stop him late in the fight.

“Because Zepeda’s a proud man. You know, and that’s why I love this fight so much, because you know Zepeda. One, he’s got heavy hands, but he’s got a heavy heart. And he will not give up. And, you know, I just feel like he’s gonna keep coming, keep coming.”

Like Farmer, Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) is left-handed. Unlike Farmer (33-8-1, 8 KOs, 1 NC), Stevenson tends to fight from long range, is disciplined defensively and has left fans frustrated at times because he hasn’t engaged with some of his more powerful opponents.

The three-division champion from Newark, New Jersey drew intense criticism the last time he fought a strong southpaw. Edwin De Los Santos deserves some blame, too, for the lack of action in their 12-round, 135-pound championship match in November 2023, but Stevenson absorbed the brunt of that backlash after he defeated De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) by unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Stevenson stopped Josh Padley at the end of the 9th round of his last bout, but Padley left his full-time job as an electrician after accepting a fight with Stevenson on only four days’ notice. Stevenson stood his ground against Padley (16-1, 5 KOs), who has knocked out only 29 percent of his opponents, and dropped the brave Brit three times with body blows in the ninth round at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) is doggedly aggressive and strong, as his significantly higher knockout ratio of 82 percent indicates. Farmer still sent Zepeda to the canvas briefly in the fourth round of their first fight, a 10-rounder Zepeda won by split decision November 16 at ANB Arena in Riyadh.

A more effective Zepeda defeated Farmer by majority decision in their 12-round rematch March 29 at Poliforum Benito Juarez in Cancun, Mexico. Farmer didn’t drop Zepeda during their second bout, but Hearn envisions Stevenson making Zepeda pay for his aggression and beating his mandatory challenger easier than some of Stevenson’s skeptics might anticipate.

“He’s actually got a good style to maybe have success,” Hearn said about Zepeda, “but also a bad style to maybe be schooled.”

Most handicappers have installed Stevenson, The Ring’s No. 2-ranked lightweight, as a 10-1 favorite to beat the third-rated Zepeda. Stevenson-Zepeda will be the third of four fights DAZN Pay-Per-View will offer for $59.99 in the United States (6 p.m. ET) and £24.99 in the United Kingdom (11 p.m. BST).