[REVISION HISTORY]

Zepeda claims vacant WBC lightweight title

Updated 9 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-08 20:53 UTC → 2026-08-14 02:23 UTC · added ~~removed~~

On August 1, 2026, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, William “El Camarón” Zepeda defeated Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. by unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 118-110) to capture the vacant WBC lightweight world championship. The bout was co-promoted by Golden Boy, Top Rank, ProBox, and TGB, and broadcast via DAZN, TNT, and TruTV. Prior to the fight, promoter Oscar De La Hoya suggested Zepeda would show improved movement and footwork following his previous loss to Shakur Stevenson. Roach, entering with a 25-1-3 record, had expressed confidence in testing Zepeda’s chin. During the match, Zepeda maintained a high work rate, landing 218 punches compared to Roach's 153. Following the victory, boxing analyst Tim Bradley identified Zepeda as the top fighter in the 135-pound division, noting the inactivity of Gervonta Davis and Stevenson's move to a higher weight class. Terence Crawford also praised Zepeda’s footwork and angles, suggesting a potential high-stakes matchup against Emanuel ~~Navarrete. The win improved Zepeda's~~ Navarrete, describing such a fight as a “bloodbath waiting to happen.” Zepeda, whose record improved to 34-1 with 27 ~~knockouts. The~~ knockouts, was greeted by fans at Mexico City International Airport and later held a press conference in Metepec, State of Mexico. He expressed his intention to pursue unification bouts to become an undisputed champion, noting the significance of returning an absolute lightweight ~~title had been vacated~~ world championship to Mexico after ~~Stevenson moved up in weight.~~ a 14-year hiatus. The event's undercard also saw IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla retain his title with a unanimous decision victory over Robson Conceição.

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