Mexican contender William Zepeda has now become one of the most likely lightweight contenders favored for a shot at a world title following a demolishing victory over fellow contender Maxi Hughes, fro the United Kingdom. Zepeda and Hughes headlined a Golden Boy Promotions fight card at The Cosmopolitan, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday. March 16th.
It took William Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) just four rounds to defeat British lightweight contender Maxi Hughes (26-7-2, 5 KO’s), a fighter who had given George Kambosos Jr (21-2, 10 KO’s) a hard enough match last year that he was thought to have won against Kambosos―or made the fight close enough for the victory to go either way.
However, Zepeda proved himself to be on a higher level following a four-round demolition job over Hughes which saw the Mexican contender pressure his way to success. Throughout the four rounds, Hughes proved to be no match for the heavy-hitter as his corner called the fight off following the fourth round after Hughes showed minimal resistance to Zepeda’s onslaught.
Throughout the match, Zepeda was physically unstoppable as he forced Hughes to tuck in and retreat on the backfoot for the entirety of the fight. Hughes showing was poor, or made poor by Zepeda who successfully cut off the ring against Hughes, leaving the British lightweight with little option but to cover himself.
The four rounds that occurred during the match saw Zepeda have a similar performance as to his last fight, with his conditioning, strength, and speed preventing his opponent from doing much else. Hughes, who was already not known to be a prolific volume puncher, virtually did nothing throughout the fight as his tendency to box at range was stifled the entire match.
The last and fourth round saw Zepeda win the round comfortably as he attempted to put Hughes out of the match, though to Hughes’ credit he remained standing after having already endured the Mexican’s constant offensive the three rounds prior. However, given Hughes’ efforts against Kambosos during his last outing, there was a sense of disappointment in his inability to tilt the scales in his favor even slightly.
With his victory, Zepeda has now confirmed himself as the WBA and IBF lightweight mandatory challenger as was decided before the fight, giving him two pathways to two different titles. The WBA route might see him going up against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (27-0, 24 KO’s) who officially became a world champion just this year.
The IBF title will be fought over by George Kambosos and Vasyl Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KO’s) on May 12th, which would set the stage for an interesting challenge for Zepeda depending on who comes out on top.
However, there is another unofficial path that Zepeda might take; the WBC route. With WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KO’s) confirmed to be unretired, both fighters might be headed into a collision course as they both indicated an interest in a potential fight following Zepeda’s victory last Saturday.
“I want the big names in boxing. We have to recognize Shakur [Stevenson] is one of those big names in boxing,” William Zepeda told Fight Hub TV shortly after his fight against Maxi Hughes.
“I want to show what I’m able to do, and I believe Shakur is that person that I need to prove [myself against], for me to get there.
“I know that my style of boxing is perfect for Shakur; the throwing a lot of punches, making them confused, and just coming in pressuring him, I know that’s gonna make me victorious in this fight.“
Shakur Stevenson himself could not help but chime in with his own desire to face Zepeda in the near future.
“If Maxi Hughes gave Kambosos the fight of his life but Zepeda DESTROYED him how good is [George] Kambosos, or the better question is; how good is [William] Zepeda?” Stevenson Tweeted on March 17th.
“I’m excited let’s make #StevensonZepeda next pls – Pressure bust pipes or make diamonds.”
Another Golden Boy lightweight contender fought on the same night in American fighter Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KO’s), who won his non-title bout against Dominican contender Esteuri Suero (13-2, 10 KO’s) by disqualification.
Their match was marred by excessive fouling by Suero which saw him deducted on points for fouls in the second and fourth round. The lightweight bout, originally scheduled for ten rounds, never made it past the fifth round as Suero eventually found himself disqualified for a low blow in the round, granting Schofield an automatic victory by disqualification.
It was a disappointing end to a match that was supposed to help challenge Schofield’s credentials as a contender, with Suero being considered the most challenging opponent Schofield has faced thus far throughout his career. While Schofield did appear to edge the earlier rounds prior to being handed the disqualification win, only time will tell whether those five rounds will have been a substantial experience for Schofield moving forward.
