TST Exclusive: William Zepeda talks Roach Jr., preparation and his path to their Aug. 1 title fight
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LOS ANGELES — It's been a little over a year since William Zepeda last stepped into the ring. That fight, a competitive decision loss to Shakur Stevenson, still represents the only blemish on his record, and the lesson he says shaped everything that's followed.
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Zepeda opened up about all of it in an exclusive interview with The Sporting Tribune.
“There were a lot of things to improve technically,” Zepeda said in Spanish over Zoom this week, days out from his WBC lightweight title fight against Lamont Roach Jr. on Aug. 1 in Las Vegas. “But more than anything, it’s what you said, the emotions. Knowing how to control the ring, not getting desperate, knowing how to manage the pace. Those things don’t always feel like part of the preparation, but they should, because they matter a lot.”
William Zepeda spoke with The Sporting Tribune over Zoom ahead of his Aug. 1 title fight.Michael Huezo - The Sporting Tribune
William Zepeda spoke with The Sporting Tribune over Zoom ahead of his Aug. 1 title fight.
It was the first defeat of Zepeda’s career, a competitive 12-round decision loss last July that still stands as one of the toughest fights of Stevenson’s résumé. Zepeda doesn’t look back on it as a setback so much as a lesson he’s spent the last year applying.
“Where you don’t get desperate, where you don’t rush in, where you stay calm and a combination can open up for you, those are things I’ve really been working on,” he said.
William ZepedaGolden Boy Promotions
William Zepeda
Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) enters the Roach fight (25-1-3) off what he describes as a different kind of training camp, one built around rest, nutrition, and small technical adjustments rather than a total overhaul. “It felt a little different from previous camps,” he said, “because we came off a good rest. I felt new. I talked with the team about a few things I wanted to work on to arrive better for the fight, and we did some things differently. We even brought in someone to prepare meals specifically for athletes, and honestly, I think that helped a lot.”
William Zepeda training ahead of his Aug. 1 title fight.Golden Boy Promotions
William Zepeda training ahead of his Aug. 1 title fight.
The southpaw, known as “El Camarón” for his relentless, high-volume style, has built his career on suffocating opponents with pressure, a style he says will need to evolve for a boxer like Roach, a sharp counterpuncher who thrives when his opponent leaves openings.
“We have to bring smart pressure, not just pressure for the sake of pressure,” Zepeda said. “Because Roach’s style favors fighters who just come forward throwing punches and stay there. We have to work the body, combine punches, not stay in one spot, because any space you give Roach, or a fighter like him, he can start to take advantage of.”
William Zepeda lands a right hand to the body of Maxi Hughes during his last fight in Las Vegas.Golden Boy Promotions
William Zepeda lands a right hand to the body of Maxi Hughes during his last fight in Las Vegas.
Roach has been vocal in the build-up, telling media he believes he’ll be the first fighter to stop Zepeda inside the distance. Zepeda has heard it before.
“Previous opponents said similar things, that El Camarón hadn’t fought anybody real,” he said. “But it’s very different when they actually have me in front of them, when they see a southpaw who’s coming in and out, throwing his punches, staying on top of you, moving. That gives me peace of mind, honestly, that they’re confident. But I’m very conscious that I can’t afford to be overconfident against a fighter like Roach, given his strength and his boxing ability. I think his team is underestimating El Camarón a little. That’s on them. On Aug. 1, they’ll find out who El Camarón really is.”
For Zepeda, the stakes of this fight go beyond a title. “There’s definitely some pressure, because this fight matters a lot for my career,” he said. “A win, and my career keeps rising. A loss, and we’d know it stalls a bit. I like to be honest with myself about what either outcome would mean. That’s part of why you work hard, so that win happens, and we keep moving forward.”
It’s also personal. Zepeda was one of the first fighters signed by his promotional team, and he says there’s a shared sense within his camp that this fight is the culmination of a story they started together years ago. “They carry that feeling of, this was my first fighter, and now we’re about to crown him a world champion,” he said. “We have to see this through. Everyone’s excited. We’re working hard because we know what this fight means, but we’re working well.”
Asked what he’d say to the version of himself who first visited Las Vegas as a young fighter more than a decade ago, Zepeda paused before answering. A memory had resurfaced on Facebook just weeks earlier, a photo from a visit to the city years before he ever fought there.
“I was already training in boxing then, and I remember thinking, when will I get to fight here? When will I get my opportunity to fight for a world title here?” he said. “Thinking about everything Las Vegas represents, that this is where the world championship fights happen. And now, thank God, 12 or 13 years after that visit, El Camarón Zepeda is going to fight for a world title here.”
Away from the ring, Zepeda says few people know the version of him that shows up right after a training camp ends. “There’s something a lot of people don’t know about me,” he said. “After a fight, I go do the things I couldn’t do while I was in camp. I love cutting the grass, painting. I have a few projects already lined up back home. Plumbing, electrical, gardening, all of it.”
He laughed recalling a conversation with his wife about what life will look like once he wins the title. “She told me, ‘Once you win the championship, you’re going to have all these interviews, all these invitations.’ And I told her, no, I’m going to grab my tool bag. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
William Zepeda roars in celebration after one of his previous victories, the Mexican flag raised high behind him.Golden Boy Promotions
William Zepeda roars in celebration after one of his previous victories, the Mexican flag raised high behind him.
Zepeda and Roach will headline a WBC lightweight world championship card Aug. 1 in Las Vegas at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.
The card will broadcast on TNT and truTV in the U.S. and on DAZN worldwide, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Ring walks for the main event are expected around 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT.
