Lamont Roach Jr. and William Zepeda can put recent world title disappointment behind them when they contest the vacant WBC lightweight title in Brooklyn.
Former WBA super featherweight champion Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) is in the unusual position of having drawn his past two fights, both at championship level.
Gervonta Davis escaped with a controversial majority draw in March last year when Roach outperformed expectations against the wayward star. ‘Tank’ took a knee in the ninth round and signalled he had something in his eye, but referee Steve Willis inexplicably did not call a knockdown. If he had, Roach would have walked away with the WBA title at 135 pounds.
The seasoned counter-puncher stepped up in weight again last time out to take on Isaac Cruz, bidding for the WBC interim title at super lightweight. Roach touched the canvas for the first time in his career in round three but recovered to dominate the second half of the contest in the eyes of most observers. Still, two of the three ringside judges scored it even, with the third finding a peculiar 115-111 in favour of Cruz.
“All I want is a fair shake, man. That’s it,” Roach said afterwards. “I’m tired of this s—, man.”
Roach must hope that comes against Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs), the all-action Mexican southpaw, who is unlikely to let him rest. The 30-year-old saw his 33-fight winning record grind to a halt last July, when he dropped a wide points decision to Shakur Stevenson.
That fight was also for the WBC lightweight belt, but Stevenson was stripped after he stepped up to dethrone WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez
“We know Lamont,” Zepeda said at the pre-fight press conference “He’s respectful outside the ring, but when he’s inside that ring, he’s a monster. He’s a beast, and I’m the same way. It’s going to be a war on Saturday.”
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Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda prediction: Who will win?
Stylistically, this looks like a beautifully matched fight of sharp contrasts.
Roach is an expert technician, whose slick skills have helped him to compete effectively at world level, taking his game to the next level after his solitary career loss to Jamel Herring almost seven years ago.
Lamont doesn’t waste much, but his precision game will have to derail a steam locomotive heading in the other direction. Zepeda is a relentless operator who will expect to throw in excess of 1,000 punches if this fight goes the distance. It’s not purely a volume game for ‘Camaron’, who is one of the finest body punchers in the sport today.
The master boxer, who makes you miss and pay, taking down the over-eager crowd pleaser is a tale as old as the Queensberry Rules. Zepeda can lack variety and, as we saw against Shakur, attacking relentlessly in straight lines against a man who loves to work off angles, can become a thankless task.
Understandably, Roach is a narrow bookmaker’s favourite, with Zepeda’s pair of razor-thin wins over Tervin Farmer before the Stevenson fight adding to an uncomfortable body of evidence hinting that he is a man who has plateaued or worse. Expect Roach to win the early rounds.
But there is a nagging sense that Zepeda can get this done down the stretch. For all that Roach has been hard done by on the cards in his past two fights, he is partly responsible because he leaves too many rounds on the table, letting his activity drop. That just isn’t part of Zepeda’s equation.
Additionally, as one-sided as the Shakur loss was, a fighter who some suggested had been protected passed a test of heart and guts with flying colours. If Zepeda can come through Roach’s early puzzles and traps relatively unscathed, he can battle to victory by outworking Roach during the second half.
SN prediction: Zepeda via UD 12
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Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda undercard
Here’s a breakdown of all the action on the Roach vs. Zepeda undercard, where there is more world title action in the lightweight division.
Raymond Muratalla vs. Robson Conceicao
- Division/Weight: Lightweight
- Muratalla record: 24-0
- Conceicao record: 21-3-1
- Belts at stake: IBF
Muratalla claimed a brilliant win over Cuban sensation Andy Cruz to retain his IBF crown last time out.
He’ll have his hands full with another Olympic gold medalist this time, Brazil’s Conceicao keen to make the most of his latest title tilt after defeats to O’Shaquie Foster, Shakur and Oscar Valdez. There was also a November 2023 draw with Emanuel Navarrete in the middle of all that, where he was down twice.
Now 37, this could well be Conceicao’s final shot at glory. If Muratalla goes to 25-0, he won’t hesitate in telling the main event winner that they’re not even the best fighter in their division.
Raul Curiel vs. Quinton Randall
- Division/Weight: Welterweight
- Curiel record: 17-0-1
- Randall record: 17-3-1
- Belts at stake: NABF
Curiel makes the eighth defence of the North American Boxing Federation title that he won in June 2021 against Ferdinand Kerobyan.
It’s been an unusually long time to remain at continental title level for the one-time elite Mexican amateur. A draw against Alexis Rocha in December 2024 is his only career blemish, but Curiel handed the previously undefeated Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez a fourth-round knockout loss last June.
Activity has also been lacking for the 30-year-old, who must surely move on to bigger and better things if he is able to navigate the Randall. Not a noted puncher, only four of the American’s wins have come inside the distance. He’s also never been stopped and went 10 rounds with KO artist and former WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. in November 2023.
Charles Conwell vs. Paul Kroll
- Division/Weight: Super Welterweight
- Conwell record: 21-1
- Kroll record: 12-0-2
Detroit’s Conwell returns to action for the first time in 15 months after suffering his first career defeat. The 2016 Olympian dropped a split decision to Jorge Garcia Perez in his most recent outing
Kroll will hope to chip away at any lingering vulnerabilities and has eight knockouts on his undefeated ledger. However, activity has been a huge issue for the Philadelphian, who scored a two-round blowout win in March last year, his only outing since December 2023.
Fabian Guzman vs. Aaron Coley
- Division/Weight: Middleweight
- Guzman record: 10-0
- Coley record: 17-5-2
Rising prospect Fabian Guzman showed a fuller repertoire to go with his evident power when he boxed to a unanimous decision win over two-time national champion Julian Delgado in March.
The 23-year-old Southern Californian has eight KOs in his 10 wins. Coley was knocked out by Serhii Bohachuk in November 2022 and has only won two of his previous seven. However, he has a win and a draw since returning from a near three-year lay-off in August 2025.
Joel Iriarte vs. Jorge Lagunas
- Division/Weight: Welterweight
- Iriarte record: 10-0
- Lagunas record: 19-9
Another young Californian with wrecking power, Iriarte has only heard the final bell once in a professional career that only started in March 2024.
Lagunas has lost his past two fights and been stopped four times in his career. The 30-year-old Mexican feels made to measure, although his 16 KOs mean Iriarte cannot afford to be gung-ho.
Gael Cabrera vs. Francisco Pedroza
- Division/Weight: Super Bantamweight
- Cabrera record: 11-0
- Pedroza record: 20-14-2
Nicknamed ‘El Terrorista’, the 21-year-old Cabrera is seeking to make waves in a division stacked with Mexican talent.
He has teak-tough compatriot Pedroza for company here and can expect to get rounds under his belt. ‘Rayito’ might have been beaten 14 times, but his only two knockout losses came in his first two professional bouts, back in 2012 and 2013.
Where to watch Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda
Lamont Roach vs. William Zepeda will be available on DAZN worldwide.
A DAZN monthly subscription is $20.99 on a 12-month contract or $30.99 month-to-month. The annual subscription is $224.99.
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