The WBC has confirmed that they will allow Mexico's William Zepeda and Maryland's Lamont Roach to fight for their vacant lightweight world title alter this year.
William Zepeda and Lamont Roach Jr. are now set to meet for the vacant WBC lightweight championship after the belt was stripped from Shakur Stevenson last month. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that development on Wednesday in an interview with insider Dan Rafael and his Fight Freaks Unite Substack.
Despite reports suggesting otherwise, Sulaiman clarified to Rafael that the WBC did not order the fight between the two contenders. Zepeda and Roach currently hold the No. 1 and No. 2 positions in the WBC’s 135 lb. rankings, but the bout was initiated by the fighters’ teams rather than mandated by the sanctioning body.
According to Sulaiman, both camps approached the WBC with a proposal after already reaching a preliminary agreement to fight each other later this year. They requested that the bout be sanctioned as a championship contest for the vacant title.
“They came to the WBC with a proposal to have No. 1 and No. 2 fight for the title,” Sulaiman explained. “They had already reached a deal to fight and came to us asking for the WBC’s blessing to make it for the title. We did not order the fight. It was their proposal.”
Sulaiman added to Rafael that the WBC received several different proposals from promoters who wanted their fighters to compete for the newly vacant championship. Because of the number of requests, the matter was brought before the WBC Board of Governors for a vote.
After reviewing the options, the board determined that a matchup between Zepeda and Roach represented the most compelling and prestigious bout available.
“We went to a vote, and it was ruled that this fight has the highest prestige and the greatest interest,” Sulaiman said. “We believe it’s very good for the sport.”
A specific date and venue for the fight have not yet been finalized. However, Roach’s adviser Robert Diaz told Rafael Wednesday night that now that both sides have reached an agreement and the WBC has approved the bout, discussions will focus on locking in the logistical details of when and where the fight will take place.
One of the biggest surprises in the situation involves WBC interim lightweight champion, Cuban Jadier Herrera. In many cases, an interim titleholder is elevated to full champion when the primary champion is stripped, as Stevenson was. That did not happen here.
Even more unusual, Herrera was not included in the fight for the vacant title — a move that is considered unprecedented in this type of scenario.
Sulaiman explained that Herrera was part of another proposal presented to the WBC. One suggested matchup would have seen the undefeated southpaw face Sam Noakes of England for the vacant belt. Herrera, who holds a record of 18-0 with 16 knockouts, captured the interim title in January with an eighth-round knockout victory over Ricardo Nunez in Germany.
Noakes, 17-1 with 15 knockouts, most recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to Abdullah Mason in a hard fought November battle, while competing for the vacant WBO lightweight crown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ultimately, the WBC selected the Zepeda-Roach proposal. Sulaiman indicated that the winner of that bout will likely face Herrera next, unless Herrera defends his interim title against another opponent in the meantime.
Zepeda, a 29-year-old Mexican southpaw with a record of 33-1, 27 KOs, is known for his relentless pressure style and heavy punching power. He previously held the interim WBC title and challenged Stevenson in a highly anticipated matchup last July in Queens, New York. Stevenson, however, delivered one of the best performances of his career that night, winning a clear decision over the Mexican rising star in an entertaining contest.
Roach, 30, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, brings a record of 25-1-3 with 10 KOs. The former WBA junior lightweight champion enters the fight following two controversial draws in 2025.
One of those came last March in Brooklyn, when Roach fought WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis to a majority draw in a highly debated decision that many observers believed Roach deserved to win.
In his next fight back in December, Roach moved up to 140 lb. and battled to a tough majority draw with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz challenging for his WBC interim junior welterweight belt in San Antonio.
Zepeda is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roach by Premier Boxing Champions, and it remains to be seen if the fight would be a headliner or a co-feature as part of another show?