Stevenson to defend lightweight title vs. Zepeda

Shakur Stevenson will defend his WBC lightweight championship against William Zepeda, and Edgar Berlanga will face Hamzah Sheeraz in a title eliminator on July 12 in New York.

A venue has yet to be announced.

The Ring Magazine 3 event, announced Sunday, will be broadcast on DAZN and serve as a launch event for The Ring's upcoming TV show "Inside the Ring."

Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) is coming off a ninth-round TKO over late replacement Josh Padley in February. His original opponent, Floyd Schofield, was replaced by Padley during the week of the fight.

Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) recently defeated former champion Tevin Farmer last month. Fighting out of Mexico, Zepeda is a high-volume puncher who will pose a threat against Stevenson's vaunted defense.

Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs) will be back in action four months after stopping unheralded Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz in March. His lone loss was in a one-sided decision against Canelo Alvarez in September 2024.

England's Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), who is coming off a controversial draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February, will be making his super middleweight debut against Berlanga, with the winner in line for a title fight.

The undercard will also feature hard-hitting Subriel Matias (22-2, 22 KOs) challenging unbeaten Alberto Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) for the WBC junior welterweight title. David Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) looks to get back into the win column following his loss to David Benavidez when he takes on Imam Khataev (10-0, 9 KOs).

Ring Magazine 3 will take place the day after the highly anticipated trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, also in New York.