Lamont Roach Jnr has finally landed a title fight, even without the opportunity to avenge either of his past two blemishes.
WBC officials have formally ordered a vacant lightweight title fight between Roach and former title challenger William Zepeda.
Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs), is the WBC’s number-one contender at 135lbs; Roach, 25-1-3 (10 KOs), is ranked second.
The two sides will have 30 days to reach terms, at which point a purse-bid hearing will be called in the absence of a confirmed deal in place.
The winner will claim the title left behind by Shakur Stevenson, 25-0 (11 KOs), the four-division champ and current lineal, RING and WBO king. His reign – which began in November 2023 – ended in a bitter dispute with the WBC over non-payment surrounding his permitted challenge of then-140lbs champ Teofimo Lopez on January 31 in New York City.
Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs), has not fought since his own defeat by Stevenson in their title consolidation bout in July 2025 in Queens, New York. Still, he maintained the top slot in the WBC 135lbs rankings.
The Mexican southpaw was the interim titlist at the time and – while forcing Stevenson to fight out of his comfort zone – fell well short on the scorecards in his first crack at a major title. He previously claimed a secondary version of the WBC interim belt in a win over Tevin Farmer in November 2024, overcoming a fifth-round knockdown to prevail via 10-round, split decision.
Their rematch in March 2025 involved Zepeda earning a 12-round, majority decision in what is also his most recent win
Roach went all of 2025 without a win, though his stock has never been higher.
The former WBA 130lbs titlist fought to a draw in back-to-back contests, beginning with his clash with then-WBA 135lbs titleholder Gervonta “Tank” Davis in March in Brooklyn, New York. Davis avoided a knockdown call and was essentially permitted a timeout after taking a knee in the ninth round. The fumbled call by referee Steve Willis proved to be the difference on the cards, as Roach was forced to settle for a majority draw.
Roach was dealt a similar fate in his challenge of WBC interim 140lbs titlist Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in December in San Antonio, Texas. In their spirited affair Roach recovered from a third-round knockdown and seemingly outboxed Cruz – who was deducted a point in round seven for excessive holding and hitting.
Roach did not manage to win on a single scorecard in that bout or the one with Davis.
Still, his effort in both contests was enough for the WBC to agree to assign a lofty ranking, upon his commitment to return and campaign at lightweight.
