Exciting lightweight contender William Zepeda had himself a pretty quick and relatively easy night’s work on Saturday when he took out Giovanni Cabrera in the third round in Ontario, California. Now, Zepeda’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, is looking to the future and to his fighter becoming the unified world ruler at 135 pounds.
Currently, Zepeda, 31-0(27), is the mandatory contender in the four major governing bodies. As such, Zepeda is in a great position. And De La Hoya sees Zepeda unifying the belts and becoming a true superstar. In time, De La Hoya said post-fight on Saturday, Zepeda will be taking on and defeating the likes of Shakur Stevenson and “all the other guys.”
Zepeda could prove to be a genuine star over the coming months, and the Golden Boy boss has a plan all mapped out, beginning with a challenge to reigning WBO lightweight champ Denis Berinchyk.
“I think I would go the WBO route against Berinchyk,” De La Hoya said regarding Zepeda’s next move. “I think it’ll be a fan-friendly fight. We will take William Zepeda to the next level, and then we will go after the unification. It [Berinchyk] might be the easiest fight to make, but it wouldn’t be the easiest fight for Zepeda. I would love for William Zepeda to be a world champion when he faces Shakur Stevenson and all the other guys……..I think we have a future superstar on our hands.”
If and when Zepeda does fight Stevenson, it will almost certainly be Zepeda getting the cheers and the lion’s share of fan support. Fans are tired of Stevenson’s dull fights, whereas warriors like Zepeda always give great value for money. That said, Stevenson is a superb boxer, and just because his fights can be and have been boring doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the best 135-pounders in the world today.
But Zepeda, too, is one of the best, maybe THE best at 135. Massive fights await Zepeda, beginning with those unification fights De La Hoya is eyeing. How many belts can Zepeda win? Does Zepeda beat Berinchyk? The lightweight division is pretty hot right now, and one could argue Zepeda, along with Tank Davis, is the most exciting fighter operating there.
