Few fighters are as skilled as Shakur Stevenson.

That hasn’t necessarily led to the slick southpaw from Newark, New Jersey, becoming a household name, though. Stevenson’s pristine ability to make opponents miss has often led to less-than-thrilling fights, especially of late.

That could change the next time he steps into the ring.

Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) will defend his WBC lightweight title against interim champion William Zepeda on Saturday night in the co-main event of “Ring III,” a pay-per-view show at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. The matchup pits contrasting styles between undefeated fighters, as Stevenson’s defense and counterpunching ability will be matched against Zepeda’s relentless pressure and volume.

With how they match up, that could set the stage for Stevenson to land the exciting win he’s seeking and needs against Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs). A stoppage victory for Stevenson isn’t out of the question for some.

Renowned trainers Stephen “Breadman” Edwards and David Coldwell could see Stevenson winning inside the distance against the Mexican southpaw.

“I think Zepeda is burning on the other end of the candle,” Edwards told The Ring. “I think guys that fight like Zepeda, they don’t have long peaks. I see some chinks in his armor in the Tevin Farmer fights, so I think Shakur Stevenson should be able to stop him around the 10th or 11th round. I look for Shakur Stevenson’s right hook to the body to be a big factor in this fight.”

Investing in the body would be wise for Stevenson, 28, given Zepeda’s reliance on his pressure and volume. Stevenson has also notched multiple stoppages from body shots, including his last fight, a ninth-round TKO of Josh Padley, who was a late replacement for Floyd Schofield Jr.

Zepeda, 29, won’t be difficult for Stevenson to find, as he is more than willing to take punches to land combinations of his own.

In Zepeda’s two fights against Tevin Farmer, he was hit with 249 power punches across their 22 rounds. Farmer also dropped Zepeda in the fourth round of their first fight in November.

Farmer, like Stevenson, is a slick southpaw who doesn’t boast much punching power. It’s not far-fetched to believe that if Farmer can consistently find the target against Zepeda, Stevenson will be able to find even more success unless there's significant improvement defensively.

Coldwell believes that with this style matchup, it could lead to the version of Stevenson that we saw against Oscar Valdez and Jamel Herring. Stevenson dominated and stopped Herring in the 10th round in October 2021 to become the WBO junior lightweight champion, and he won a dominant unanimous decision over Valdez in his ensuing fight.

“You saw what Shakur Stevenson was about and what he can bring to the table,“ Coldwell said of his performances against Herring and Valdez. “He has that bit of spite, that bit of dog in him. Zepeda is going to bring it to him, but I think this is where you’re going to see the artistry and the ring IQ of Shakur Stevenson. I think he picks him apart.”

And while he isn’t as confident as Edwards is in Stevenson stopping Zepeda, Coldwell thinks the chances of that happening could rise if the three-division champion can do enough to wear down the challenger as their fight progresses.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if, as Zepeda slows and starts to get ragged, that in the last couple of rounds you could see a knockdown in there,” Coldwell said. “You could possibly see a late stoppage.”

Given where the 2016 Olympic silver medalist is in his career and the fights he wants in the near future, namely WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein believes the kind of performance where Stevenson is more willing to stand his ground and attack Zepeda would be to his benefit.

“You get the impression that Shakur Stevenson feels the pressure to be more offensive minded in this fight,” Bernstein told The Ring. “He said it, and you get the feeling that he feels from a purely marketing standpoint and a future commerce and everything involving his career that it would behoove him to show the world that he can be a better offensive fighter.”