LAS VEGAS: William Zepeda won the vacant WBC lightweight title by unanimous decision over Lamont Roach Jr. on Saturday, with scores of 117–111 twice and 118–110.
Zepeda dictated the pace with sustained pressure during the 12-round contest at The Theatre at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The victory improved the Mexican fighter’s professional record to 34–1 with 27 knockouts.
CompuBox statistics showed Zepeda landed 218 of 884 punches. Roach connected with 153 of 591 attempts.
William Zepeda threw 884 punches against Lamont Roach 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MD2qw7Jmmf
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) August 2, 2026Zepeda also held a 76–29 advantage in landed jabs and a 62–25 lead in body punches. His work rate increased sharply after the opening round and prevented Roach from maintaining his preferred tempo.
The result gave Zepeda his first major world championship after Shakur Stevenson handed him his only professional defeat in July 2025.
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Zepeda said after the fight that the Stevenson defeat had exposed weaknesses in his approach. He added that he was willing to face any challenger following his title victory. Roach’s record fell to 25–2–3.
