Zepeda Silences Doubters, Beats Lamont Roach One Year After His First Career Loss to Stevenson

William Zepeda became WBC lightweight champion on Saturday night with a unanimous points win over Lamont Roach Jr at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, just a year after suffering his first professional defeat to Shakur Stevenson. Judges scored it 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 in Zepeda's favour.

The title was vacant after the WBC stripped Stevenson earlier this year following his move up to the 140lb division. Stevenson is the only man to have beaten Zepeda, in July 2025, in the Mexican's previous attempt at a world title.

Relentless Volume Edges Tactical Battle

Zepeda threw 884 punches over 12 rounds, landing 218. Roach found success in the early stages, connecting with his right hand and countering behind a disciplined jab. Zepeda applied pressure and combinations from the opening rounds, targeting the body as well as the head with his high-volume attack.

As the fight progressed, Roach spent more time on the back foot, while Zepeda maintained his output through the closing rounds. Roach continued to land counterpunches in isolated exchanges but was unable to sustain a consistent output against Zepeda's pace.

Roach entered the fight on the back of two draws, against Gervonta 'Tank' Davis in March 2025 and Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz in December 2025. Zepeda came in with a professional record of 33-1 and improved to 34-1 with the win.

Zepeda Reflects on Lay-Off, Roach on Adjustments

Zepeda credited the year away from competition following his loss to Stevenson as a factor in his preparation for Saturday's fight. 'It has been a sacrifice and a struggle,' he said after the fight. 'It finally came true.'

He also addressed his approach to Roach's power punches during the bout. 'We knew we had to watch out for that right hand,' Zepeda said. 'But all the punches that Roach threw, we had to respect every punch. We were ready for every counter.'

Roach said Zepeda's approach had shifted since their fight was arranged, compared with the tendencies Zepeda had shown in previous contests. 'Zepeda was well prepared tonight,' he said. 'He was stepping back and not allowing me to counter.'

First Major World Title and Undisputed Ambitions

The win moves Zepeda to 34-1 with 27 knockouts and marks his first major world title. He previously held the interim WBC lightweight belt before his loss to Stevenson last year.

Asked about future opponents, Zepeda named no one specifically. 'I do not care who it is or when it is,' he said. 'Put him in front of me and I am going to beat him.' He said his goal is the undisputed lightweight championship, which would require unifying his title with the other belts in the division.

Co-Main Event and Lightweight Landscape

In the co-main event, Raymond Muratalla retained his IBF lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Robson Conceicao, with scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110. Muratalla's record moved to 25-0 with 17 knockouts. After the fight, Muratalla said his performance had not been his best, citing a difficult weight cut.

Multiple titleholders remain active in the lightweight division, including Zepeda and Muratalla. Other results on the card included Raul Curiel's majority decision win over Quinton Randall in a welterweight bout and Charles Conwell's ninth-round technical knockout of Paul Kroll in a light-middleweight fight.

For Roach, the loss follows the two previous draws against Davis and Cruz. Roach's professional record moves to 25-2-3 following Saturday's result. No future opponent or date has been announced for either Zepeda or Roach.