Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda press conference quotes and fight prediction
Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 KOs) will soon face William Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) for the vacant WBC lightweight world title.
Their bout headlines a Golden Boy Promotions card – in association with TGB Promotions and ProBox Promotions – at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, NV. Fight fans in the United States can catch the action live on DAZN, truTV, and TNT Sports. The rest of the world can do so with DAZN.
Both men spoke at a press conference ahead of their Aug. 1 contest. Below is some of what they had to say.
Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda press conference quotes
Lamont Roach Jr.
“For so long, Zepeda’s been the no. 1 contender in a few sanctioning bodies,” said Roach. “That’s something that we paid attention to. Once the opportunity came to fight for the WBC lightweight world championship, of course I said yes.”
William Zepeda
“The moment I saw this belt, I got goosebumps,” said Zepeda through an interpreter. “I’m excited for Saturday night.”
“I know a lot of you guys want trash talk, you want action. We know Lamont, he’s respectful outside the ring. But when he’s inside that ring, he’s a monster. He’s a beast. And I’m the same way. It’s going to be a war on Saturday.”
Fight prediction
From Big Fight Weekend’s Ricky Carroll: Roach is an awkward opponent for any fighter. He has a tight defence, making him difficult to pin down. He’s exceptional at timing his punches, often punishing opponents when they fall short. “The Reaper” has a strong chin, and one that Zepeda will need to test.
Zepeda is a bulldozer. He will keep coming forward, throwing punches in high-volume bunches. He often overwhelms his opponents and stops them. He’s also adept at controlling the distance with his jab before letting his hands go.
Zepeda will rely on his southpaw speed to trouble Roach, but we are backing Roach to overcome an early storm before using his boxing IQ to win a competitive unanimous decision.
Full press conference
For the press conference in its entirety, click here or the play button below. Video courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions.
Featured Image Credit
Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions
S Saadeq Ahmed
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.