William Zepeda Faces Final World Title Audition Against Giovanni Cabrera
William Zepeda is in a unique position no other professional boxer can currently claim; he is the only fighter to be ranked No 1 by all four major sanctioning bodies.
It puts the unbeaten Mexican (30-0-0 26 KO) in prime position to challenge for a lightweight world title, but first, he needs to pass one final audition against Giovanni Cabrera (22-1-0 7 KO) this Saturday.
That fight will take place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California on the same night WBC champion Shakur Stevenson defends his belt against Artem Harutyunyan in Newark, New Jersey. Victory for both Zepeda and Stevenson will lead to fresh calls for the pair to fight. It could even be enforced by the WBC, who could name Zepeda as the American’s mandatory challenger.
For Zepeda – who is also the No 1 challenger for Denys Berinchyk’s WBO belt, Vasiliy Lomachenko’s IBF title, and Gervonta Davis’ WBA strap – a first world title shot has been a long time coming.
After turning professional in November 2015, the southpaw took an extremely active approach to the early stages of his career, fighting seven times in 2016 and a further four times each in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It meant Zepeda fought a massive 20 bouts in the first three years of his career.
Zepeda On The Brink Of World Title Shot
As the Mexican climbed the ranks, he started to collect national and regional titles. Since July 2021, he has held the WBA Continental Americas lightweight title. Yet, despite his fine form and ever-expanding fanbase a world title opportunity has not yet been forthcoming.
Zepeda’s most recent victory – a fourth-round stoppage of Maxi Hughes – was a WBA and IBF world title eliminator, placing him at the front of the line to challenge Davis and Lomachenko respectively.
A further victory over Cabrera on Saturday will only solidify his status as the leading challenger in the lightweight division, but a defeat could undo all the hard work that’s put him into this position in the first place. That is the pitfall and jeopardy that come with professional boxing.
Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic found himself in a similar position recently. The Croatian was the IBF’s interim champion and in pole position to challenge for the world title. However, a defeat to Daniel Dubois on June 1 has knocked him down the pecking order, with Dubois elevated to full champion and preparing to make his first official title defense against Anthony Joshua in September.
Zepeda will of course be aiming to avoid a similar fate and will not be taking Cabrera lightly. The Seattle native’s only defeat came against Isaac Cruz, now the WBA super-lightweight champion, in July last year – and he only lost by one or two rounds.
Cabrera Not Being Taken Lightly
“I am ready to fight,” Zepeda told BoxingScene in May after his fight with Cabrera was confirmed. “For me to build a legacy, I have to take on this type of fight and these types of fighters.
“When you go the distance with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, you know you have to be good and you have to be strong. We know he is a difficult and awkward fighter. For me to get to the next level, this is what I have to do.”
Zepeda has built a reputation for being an exciting pressure fighter, typical of what many might expect from a Mexican boxer. He has stopped 26 of his 30 opponents and is on a four-fight knockout streak. However, against Cabrera, who’s never been stopped, the most important thing for Zepeda is to win by any means necessary.
Should the Mexican secure the expected win, then he will have his pick of world title shots. That said, Cabrera will be equally motivated to put himself in the frame for world glory. It sets up what promises to be a fascinating high-stakes encounter.
