William Zepeda, ranked second in the lightweight division, fights Giovanni Cabrera in less than two weeks on Saturday, July 6, live on DAZN from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
(Credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
Zepeda plans to beat Cabrera (22-1, 7 KOs) in a dominant fashion and face undefeated Shakur Stevenson next for the WBC 135-lb belt. That’s the fight Zepeda wants, and he feels he has the style to dethrone the Newark, New Jersey native.
Pressure fighter Zepeda has looked dominant in his last four fights, defeating Maxi Hughes, Mercito Gesta, Jaime Arboleda, and Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz.
Cabrera, 29, will be an excellent test for Zepeda to show if he is ready for the next step in his fight for a world title. Giovanni lost a 12-round split decision to Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz last year in July in a fight that many fans felt he deserved to win.
The 5’9″ Cabrera pressured Cruz in the second half of the fight and made him look nervous in the final rounds. Since the loss, Cabrera bounced back to defeat Ricardo Quiroz via a 10-round unanimous decision in March.
Golden Boy-promoted Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) is ranked #1 by the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO at 135, a rare feat in any weight class, not just lightweight .
Zepeda Targeting Shakur
“He is the type of fighter who is a tough competitor. He entered many battles as a competitor, and came out victorious,” said William Zepeda writing to SnowQueenLA about Giovanni Cabera. He throws a lot of punches, so that’s what we’re prepared for, someone who’s going to give us a lot of work.”
Cabrera has the boxing ability to give Zepeda problems when he is not on top of him, pressuring him throughout the fight. At 5’9″, Cabrera is the tallest in the lightweight division, and his size and skills are difficult for many fighters in the division to match.
“I like Shakur because our styles match,” said William Zepeda when asked which 135 world champion he would like to fight next. “He’s the type of fighter who doesn’t take any risks in his fights.”
It will be nice to see Shakur under real pressure from a fighter who doesn’t let up all fight, the way Zepeda will. Shakur feels like he’s at his best at 135, but he looked vulnerable in his last fight against the puncher. He may break up with Zepeda and end up exposed.
“It would be the type of fight where I would go behind him, let him punch and do his thing, but it would be a very exciting fight. We will fight. “Whether it’s at 135 or 140, that fight will happen,” said Zepeda.
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