LAS VEGAS — William Zepeda absorbed the cheers from his countryman and boos from those who crossed an ocean to support Maxi Hughes.

The only thing missing from his lifelong dream of headlining in Las Vegas was the chance to fight for a major title. Then again, the purpose of Saturday’s fight is to lead to that exact moment.

“I get goosebumps just thinking about it,” Zepeda told The Ring. “Headlining in Vegas is something big. We know that Maxi Hughes is a quality contender and who brings a lot of experience into the ring.

“This is a tough assignment and there’s no place else I’d rather have this fight than here in Vegas.”

The pair of top-ten lightweight contenders meet this Saturday from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. DAZN will air their scheduled twelve-round bout is a sanctioned WBA and IBF title eliminator.

Mexico’s Zepeda (29-0, 25 knockouts) will have his pick of the litter should all go according to plan this weekend.

The 27-year-old southpaw from San Mateo Atenco is The Ring’s No. 5-rated 135-pound contender. A win this Saturday will advance him to No. 1 with the IBF. He already holds that spot with the WBC and WBA.

Baltimore’s Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (29-0, 27 KOs), No. 2 at 135, holds the WBA title. Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), No. 4 at 135, is the current WBC titleholder.

England’s Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs), No. 9 at 135, remains a top contender despite a loss in his last fight. The 34-year-old southpaw traveled stateside for a bitter defeat to former Ring champ George Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KOs). Their July 22 ESPN headliner saw Kambosos, No. 8 at 135, claim an unpopular majority decision.

Kambosos next meets former three-division titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs), No. 1 at 135, for the vacant IBF title. Their May 12 title fight in Perth, Australia will carry the stipulation of next facing whomever prevails on Saturday.

That is the whole point of why this fight is taking place. Golden Boy Promotions wanted to provide a prominent setting for its rising star who has done his part.

Zepeda has considerably advanced his competition since his Nov. 2020 fifth-round knockout of Roberto Ramirez in his U.S. debut. One fight later, he stopped then-unbeaten Hector Tanajara after the sixth round of their July 2021 meeting. Both fights took place in Southern California, which has housed seven of his eight stateside appearances. The most recent came in a sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Mercito Gesta last September 16 in Commerce, California. A celebration of Mexican Independence Day was the theme throughout fight week, the first It was the perfect transition for his Vegas debut, one that means more than just satisfying a bucket list item.

“This fight is to show that we are ready for those big names at this weight,” noted Zepeda. We are here to show that we are ready for Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta, the winner of Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos.

“That was the point of lining up this fight with Maxi, to become the mandatory and be first in line for all of those guys.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JakeNDaBox

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