The first names that come to mind when people talk about lightweight are Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko, all gifted and accomplished.
There are upstarts Frank Martin and Keyshawn Johnson, who seem to have unusual talent but are still in the process of proving that they belong to the aforementioned stars.
Then there’s William Zepeda, who takes on Jaime Arboleda on Saturday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
The Zepeda (27-0.23 KOs) isn’t as flashy or sporty as some of the above. And he probably doesn’t have the punching power of Davis, who beat Ryan Garcia with a single blow last Saturday in Las Vegas.
But the combination of the 26-year-old Mexican’s overall skills, a world-class stab, his ability to injure opponents and perhaps most notably, his work rate makes He becomes an important wild card in the exciting race to become 135-division deep king.
Zepeda made a big statement in his most recent battle, a breakthrough unanimous decision to win than former 130-pound champion Joseph Diaz Jr. in October last year.
He’s currently ranked in the Top 6 by three of the four main sanctioning bodies (somehow the IBF doesn’t rank).
“There were a lot of comments on social media that this was the hardest test of my career. I passed this test brilliantly and now I’m ready to go up against the best at 135 pounds,” Zepeda said after the win over Diaz.
Scores are indicative of Zepeda’a dominance, 119-109 (11 innings), 119-109 and 118-110. The winner’s run of 15 consecutive knockouts is over but that’s more down to Diaz’s determination and chin than any Zepeda shortcoming.
What stands out the most then is the incredible numbers of CompuBox.
Zepeda broke the punch-count shop lightweight record for total punches thrown in a light round, 1,536 (landing 398). That’s 128 (33) per round. He also set a new 135-pound mark for attempted jabs, 787 (157).
CompuBox owner Bob Canobbio calls the Zepeda a “punch machine”.
“William Zepeda isn’t just busy, averaging 103.9 punches per round [but] he’s also accurate, putting out 31.3 punches per round, which is almost double the lightweight average of 16.3 landings per round,” said Canobbio, referring to Zepeda matches CompuBox has had success with. .
That kind of punch volume can be difficult for even the best boxers. And that’s part of the reason Zepeda’s managers appreciate him so much.
His promoter Oscar De La Hoya said: “When you have people like Shakur Stevenson criticizing William Zepeda, for example, you know that William Zepeda is doing something right. “William Zepeda is a fighter on the rise, he’s an undefeated fighter, he’s obviously a very interesting fighter to watch.
“…He is clearly ready to step up.”
Indeed, if he gets past Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) and continues to win, it won’t be long before Zepeda has a chance to prove himself among the best.
