Lamont Roach came within an inch of claiming a lightweight title in March 2025 as he fought to a highly controversial draw against Gervonta "Tank" Davis.
Now he looks to finally lay claim to a 135-pound belt, as he faces top lightweight contender William Zepeda for the WBC title on Aug. 1 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Zepeda will enter the ring with equal fire, having come up short challenging for the same title last summer, then held by four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson.
"(I thought) it was a wonderful opportunity to fight one of the best fighters in the weight class," Roach said at the final press conference. "For so long, Zepeda has been the No. 1 contender with a few sanctioning bodies. That's something that we've paid attention
to and once the opportunity came to fight for the WBC world championship, of course I said yes."
The co-main event will see an additional lightweight title on the line, as reigning IBF champion Raymond Muratalla makes the first defense of his belt against former 130-pound champion Robson Conceicao.
Follow along below for The Tennessean's live updates throughout the Roach vs. Zepeda fight card.
Lamont Roach vs William Zepeda fight card results
Stay tuned for updates and results upon the start of the main card.
William Zepeda record
05:10 PM ET, August 1 2026, Harrison CampbellWilliam Zepeda is 33-1 with 27 wins by knockout.
Zepeda had long been positioned as one of the lightweight division's top contenders when he received his first career title shot against Stevenson last summer. Stevenson stymied Zepeda's non-stop offense to claim a comfortable unanimous decision and retain the WBC title. Stevenson was later stripped of the belt, allowing Zepeda another title shot against Roach.
Zepeda remains the WBC No. 1-ranked contender at lightweight.
William Zepeda age, height, weight
05:05 PM ET, August 1 2026, Harrison CampbellWilliam Zepeda is 30 years old and stands at 5-foot-9 with a 69½ inch reach. Zepeda has spent his entire career fighting at lightweight, weighing in at an average of 134.3 pounds across his last three bouts.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Follow live: Lamont Roach vs William Zepeda updates, fight time, where to watch
