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It is still hard to believe that Canelo Alvarez will not be fighting this weekend.
Boxing fans still have to wait a couple of weeks before he takes on Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas two weeks after Mexican Independence Day. Instead, the pressure is on William Zepeda to step up in his place.
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When you think of the lightweight division, the first names that usually spring to mind are Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.
However, with Haney expected to move up in weight, with Regis Prograis widely reported to be his next opponent, that is likely to cause the belts to fragment, which will in turn create opportunities for those hoping to get their hands on a world title in the near future.
Zepeda, who is ranked in the top 10 of each of the four major organisations, is one of those who harbours such ambitions.
Fresh off an emphatic, if routine, win over Jaime Arboleda, Mexico native Zepeda puts his undefeated record on the line against Mercito Gesta, a former title challenger who has twice fallen short previously at world level.
Through no fault of his own, Zepeda is part of the “who needs him” club at 135lbs.
Known not only for his power, but also for his punch output, he has blown away pretty much all who have stood in front of him, which has made it difficult finding opponents for him at times.
And while it might seem like a bit of a mismatch, Zepeda hopes victory over Gesta will keep him in contention to fight for a world title in 2024.
Zepeda vs Gesta
- Date: Saturday 16 September
- Venue: The Commerce Casino in Los Angeles
- Fight time: Ring walks for the main event are expected around 4am (UK time)
- TV/live stream: DAZN, where subscriptions start from £9.99 a month
- Undercard highlights: If it’s knockouts you want, Darius Fulghum is your man. The American light-heavyweight has knocked out every opponent he has faced
- i predicts: Zepeda to win by knockout
Full card:
- Victor Morales vs Edwin Palomares
- Yokasta Valle vs Maria Santizo
- Darius Fulghum vs Ricardo Luna
- Eric Priest vs Simon Madsen
- Daniel Garcia vs Erick Benitez
- Alejandro Reyes vs Roberto Gomez
- Gael Cabrera vs Juan Centeno
- Jordan Cervantes vs Giovanny Meza
Any other business
- Chris Eubank Jr has once again called for a fight with Canelo Alvarez
- Ryan Garcia’s comeback is being targeted for November or December
- Shakur Stevenson and Edwin De Los Santos have agreed to face off on 16 November