The WBC belt only became available after Shakur Stevenson moved to 140 pounds earlier this year. Zepeda was the last fighter to challenge Shakur for the title and lost a wide decision in July last year. By the time this fight happens, Zepeda will have been out of the ring for roughly a year.
Roach has had even worse luck.
He appeared to score a knockdown against Gervonta Davis in March 2025, only for referee Steve Willis to refuse to count it. The fight ended in a draw, costing Roach what many viewed as the biggest win of his career. He then fought Isaac Cruz to another draw in December after climbing off the canvas in the third round.
Now, both fighters are being pushed back toward a world title fight through a vacant belt.
That has become normal in boxing. One fighter loses to the champion. Another comes out of a controversial draw. The belt gets vacated. Suddenly, everyone is fighting for a world title again.
A final venue has reportedly not been finalized, although Mandalay Bay is viewed as the preferred location.
It is the ultimate failed upward scenario that makes you look at the sport and just shake your head.
The lightweight division is operating on some bizarre, logic-defying loop. You have one guy who hasn’t won a fight in his last two outings, and another guy whose last memory in the ring is getting completely taken apart. Yet, they are fighting for a green and gold world title belt.
The Lamont Roach situation is strange. How many fighters in boxing history can say they failed to win two consecutive world title fights and were rewarded with a third straight shot?
He moved up to 135 and got a majority draw against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in March 2025. Then he went to 140 and got another majority draw against Pitbull Cruz in December.
In a normal sports ecosystem, you go back to the drawing board or fight an eliminator. In boxing, you get a third consecutive crack at a world title, this time back down at 135. It is unparalleled matchmaking luck.
Then look at William Zepeda. Shakur Stevenson gave him a 12-round boxing lesson in July 2025. He didn’t just lose; he was exposed on the back foot and lost a wide unanimous decision.
Instead of forcing Zepeda to rebuild, beat a top contender, and prove he can handle elite movement, he gets a one-year layoff and walks right back into a title fight for the exact same belt Shakur just dropped. He is literally benefiting from the champion abandoning the division.
This is what happens when sanctioning bodies care more about collecting sanctioning fees than maintaining the integrity of their rankings. The moment Shakur vacated to go to 140, the WBC panicked to fill the vacancy and just looked at the highest available names, regardless of their recent momentum.
It turns the “world champion” status into a transitional gimmick. It is a highly competitive matchup stylistically, but the political mechanics behind making it happen are completely backwards.
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