Lightweight contender William Cepeda needs another win to kick off the career-defining fight he is seeking.
Zepeda, 31-0 (27 KOs), will take on former 130-pound titleholder Tevin Farmer, 33-6-1 (8 KOs), on Saturday for the interim WBC lightweight title on the card of “Latino Night. ” of Golden Boy Promotion events in Saudi Arabia
If Zepeda, ranked No. 1 by all four major sanctioning agencies, wins. He will prepare himself for his long-discussed matchup with WBC 135-pound champion Shakur Stevenson on February 22.
“God willing we are victorious in this battle. We are ready to fight Shakur,” Zepeda told BoxingScene through a Spanish translator.
“We know Tevin. Farmer has many good qualities. He has a similar style to Shakur, but right now I’m not worried about Shakur. I have to be careful with Tevin. He is a very talented fighter. He is a great counter-attacker. I knew that if I could beat Farmer convincingly People are going to want to fight Shakur.”
Zepeda realized that if he stunned Stevenson, Boxers are probably calling for him to fight WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
“I believe Davis is a more complex fighter than Stevenson,” Zepeda said. “He has youth. Strength, Intelligence, and Experience And I want to fight him and show who I am. My fighting quality And what I can do, if I beat Shakur, everyone would want me to fight Tank, and that’s what I want to do as well.”
Zepeda, a 28-year-old southern Mexican golfer, has had a strong year so far, stopping Maxi Hughes in round four in March and Giovanni Cabrera in three rounds in July.
Manuk Agopyan is a sports journalist, author, and broadcast reporter whose credits include ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring. Magazine and more. He has written for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached at X (formerly Twitter)– Instagram– Linkedin and Youtubevia email manouk(dot)akopyan(at)gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com–
