Although he’s slowly but steadily climbed the ranks, William Zepeda is far from being considered a household name. However, in an act to prove that his star power is worth mentioning, Top Rank, the promotional banner which Zepeda fights under, placed him in the main event this past weekend.
In front of a somewhat packed Dallas crowd, Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) made it look incredibly easy against Jaime Arboleda, stopping his man in the second round. At the moment, the lightweight division is filled to the brim with countless big names including Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Frank Martin, and a long list of others. Still, despite the competition, Zepeda wholeheartedly believes that he’s the best fighter that 135 has to offer.
“It’s me,” said Zepeda to a group of reporters when asked who’s the best fighter at 135. “And we’re gonna showcase it one day.”
Bravado aside, Zepeda, in the eyes of many, hasn’t quite crossed over into the land of the elite. Though his record remains perfect, Haney, the division’s reigning undisputed kingpin, has topped the charts as the man to beat. In just under a month, the 24-year-old will look to defend his throne against Vasiliy Lomachenko.
With Haney largely expected to take care of business, both Stevenson and Davis have emerged as viable next options.
Stevenson, of course, successfully made his lightweight debut just a few short weeks ago, violently ending the night of Shuichiro Yoshino. As for Davis, he turned back the brazen challenge of Ryan Garcia, brutally stopping his man in the seven-round of their pay-per-view main event on April 22nd.
Zepeda, by and large, will have to play the waiting game. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old firmly believes that once he’s given his opportunity, he’ll prove that he’s the division’s top dog.
“Hopefully my opportunity will come soon so I can demonstrate who William Zepeda is.”