William Zepeda can’t think of any place he’d rather be than in a boxing ring on Mexican Independence Day.
The unbeaten lightweight contender was bestowed the honor to headline a DAZN show on a night that celebrates a major holiday for his country. Zepeda will face former title challenger Mercito Gesta in a battle of lightweight southpaws this Saturday from Commerce Casino in Commerce, California.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to once again headline a show,” Zepeda told BoxingScene.com. “We are grateful to Golden Boy for providing this to us. It’s not just a showcase fight. We’re going up against a tough rival. Mexico versus the Philippines has become a fun, very competitive rivalry.
“Being able to fight on Mexican Independence Day is huge as well, to represent all Mexicans as well as all the Mexican-American fans who have been supporting me and who will also be celebrating on this very important day.”
The opportunity became available to headline on the date when it was learned that Mexico’s—and arguably all of boxing’s—biggest star, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (59-2-2, 39KOs) planned to fight later in the month. The four-division and undisputed super middleweight champion from Guadalajara will defend his crown versus undisputed (for now) junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19KOs) on September 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It left the door open for Zepeda (28-0, 24KOs) to not only land a main event assignment versus Gesta (34-3-3, 17KOs)—a 35-year-old Filipino based in San Diego—but to fight on the Mexican holiday weekend for the first time in his eight-year career.
“This is a dream come true,” noted Zepeda, who comes off a second-round knockout of Jaime Arboleda on April 29 in Arlington, Texas. “Not only am I fighting on such an important day for our history, I’m following the path that was laid out before me by Canelo, by Julio Cesar Chavez, and of course my promoter Oscar De La Hoya.
“There have been so many great legends who have performed on this weekend. It’s an important step in my career and for all the fans tuning in.”
Prior to landing the assignment, Zepeda enjoyed a traditional holiday celebration in past years.
“If I wasn’t boxing and I was just relaxing, I would be celebrating with my family,” noted Zepeda, who is ranked in the top seven of all four sanctioning bodies as a lightweight. “I would be eating a lot of good food, dress up in our charros and go downtown to the plaza. We would enjoy a lot of good snacks and just enjoy our time together.
“Of course, I am going to miss out on the actual celebration this time around since we are fighting that night but it’s obviously for a good cause.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox