William Zepeda has the rare distinction of being rated number one by all four major sanctioning bodies at lightweight. After his three round destruction of Giovanni Cabrera at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California this past weekend, his record now stands at a sterling 31-0 (27 KOs).
It's now time for a title shot for 'Camaron'.
He has plenty of bouts under his belt and at 28 years old, isnin his physical prime. The marinating process should end now.
On Saturday night, Zepeda had some issues with the awkward Cabrera (22-2, 7 KOs), whose technique was, shall we say...not exactly textbook. At times he looked like one of those social media influencers who engages in boxing matches versus other novices of 'the sweet science'.
Golden Boy Promotions
But by round two, Zepeda started to get a bead on the unusual movements of Cabrera. He began his trademark two-fisted attack to the body and head, getting his attention more than once in that round. As he went back to his corner at the end of the second, Cabrera already had a worn look to him. In the third, the blistering attack resumed.
While Cabrera could touch Zepeda, the difference is that Zepeda was hurting him. Anything that came his way, Zepeda would walk through. Eventually a well-placed body shot sent Cabrera down, where he was eventually counted out.
FULL FIGHT | WILLIAM ZEPEDA VS GIOVANNI CABRERA
“I knew my preparation was going to push me forward,” said William Zepeda. “I know I’ve been working. My discipline will always overcome anything. I was concentrated throughout the fight. People say that I just throw punches and that's all but once they get in the ring with me it’s a different story. We made a game plan that worked for me."
Golden Boy Promotions
Cabrera can't be considered an elite lightweight by any means. But he did give Isaac Cruz a tough time last year. It's not that Cabrera is particularly skilled, but he's doggone difficult. Yet, Zepeda just thrashed him in less than eight minutes.
"I can’t compare myself to other fighters. "Pitbull' (Cruz) can’t say that he’s better than me and I can’t say I’m better than 'Pitbull'. The only way we can determine that is when we’re in the ring. I’ve fought some great opposition and I feel I’m one the top of the division. We’re going to look for the opportunity to become world champion."
Ah yes, about that, when the head of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, was asked if they would now press for an opportunity to face one of the champions.
"Yeah, title shot next,'' answered De La Hoya as he was leaving the venue.
Golden Boy Promotions
'the Golden Boy' added: "He just stopped a guy that went the distance with 'Pitbull. So I think he showed a lot of heart. He showed what he's all about. I literally think that William Zepeda is probably one of the most exciting fighters today in boxing. Especially at 135.
It will be interesting to see what direction they go. Gervonta Davis is the WBA champion, while the IBF title is held by Vasiliy Lomachenko. There have been reports of these two clashing later in the year. Shakur Stevenson is the WBC belt-holder(and more on him in a bit), and then you have Denys Berinchyk, the WBO titlist, who is the path of least resistance to most pundits.
When asked which title they would most likely pursue, De La Hoya stated, "I think I would go the WBO route, Berinchyk. I think that's a great fight. I think it'll be a fan-friendly fight. It'll take William Zepeda to the next level, and then we'll go after the unifications."
A title fight -- sooner rather than later -- for Zepeda, should be mandatory.
SHAKUR
Meanwhile on the other coast at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Shakur Stevenson had hoped to make an emphatic statement as he heads into free agency. Instead, he had to settle for a less-than-scintillating 12-round decision versus Artem Harutyunyun.
Not that he didn't dominate this bout. To the contrary, he probably didn't really lose but a few rounds at most. But by the later stages of this bout, some of his hometown crowd left early. So yeah, you could say this turned into a bit of a walk-out bout.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) is one of the most skilled boxers in the sport. However, unlike say, a 'Tank' Davis, his style doesn't necessarily translate into entertainment that will resonate with the general public.
It's clear that his days with Top Rank are behind him. It will be interesting to see what the open market says about Stevenson's value.
The feelings between the two sides are mutual. One is glad to be leaving, the other glad they are.
FINAL FLURRIES
'Puma' Martinez and Kazuto Ioka put forth the best fight of the weekend (and one of the best of the year) in Japan. Martinez won a hard-fought decision to become a unified champion at 115....Yeah, like most everyone else, I thought O'Shaquie Foster got a raw deal in losing his WBC 130-pound title versus Robson Conceicao.... I'd buy stock in the future of Abdullah Mason...Keyshawn Davis got in 10 tough rounds versus the rugged Miguel Madueno....What in the world was Raul Caiz Jr. doing with that stoppage in the Ricardo Sandoval-Angel Acosta fight?...Golden Boy and DAZN formally announced the August 10 clash between junior middleweight contenders, Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohuchuk...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
