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Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says he wants to match William Zepeda against WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk before going after Shakur Stevenson following Zepeda’s third-round knockout win over Giovanni Cabrera last Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Ontario, California.
(Credit: Golden Boy Promotions/ Cris Esqueda)
Targeting the WBO Route
Zepeda looked impressive, stopping Cabrera (22-2, 7 KOs) with a liver shot in the third. Cabrera says he misjudged the count and failed to get up in the time. The referee waved it off when Cabrera up rose at the ten count. The time of the stoppage was at 1:58 of the third.
De La Hoya feels it’s vital for Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) to capture a world title before negotiating with Shakur or another top fighter. He doesn’t name who he’s referring to, but a prominent fighter would be Gervonta Davis.
De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions company will need to act quickly if they want Berinchyk for Zepeda because Top Rank is targeting him for their fighter, #3 WBO Keyshawn Davis, who took a step closer to getting that fight by defeating Miguel Madueno last Saturday night.
Keyshawn Davis: A Potential Roadblock
If Keyshawn Davis gets his hands on the WBO 135-lb title, it might prove impossible for Zepeda to get a chance to fight him for the belt because Top Rank will likely keep him safe, matching him against sure-thing opposition like they’ve been doing since he turned pro. They must know by now that Keyshawn is terribly vulnerable and would likely lose to Zepeda.
What Zepeda has going for him is he’s #1 ranked with the World Boxing Organization, so he should get a crack at Berinchyk ahead of Keyshawn, but money talks, and if Top Rank is willing to pay a fortune for that fight, they’ll get it.
“I think William Zepeda is one of the most exciting fighters today in boxing, especially at 135,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya to the media last Saturday night following William Zepeda’s third-round knockout win over Giovanni Cabrera in Ontario, California.
“I think I would go the WBO route against [Denys] Berinchyk. I think that’s a great fight,” said De La Hoya when asked who he prefers Zepeda fights for a world title at lightweight.
Berinchyk Will be Tough
Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) won’t be an easy mark for Zepeda, as he’s got outstanding skills and could win by outboxing him. In the 36-year-old Berinchyk’s last fight, he defeated Emanuel Navarrete by a twelve-round split decision on May 18th in a contest that wasn’t as close as the scores turned in by the three judges.
“I think it’ll be a fan-friendly fight. We will take William Zepeda to the next level, and then we will go after the unification. It [Berinchyk] might be the easiest fight to make, but it wouldn’t be the easiest fight for Zepeda.”
De La Hoya is right. Berinchyk wouldn’t be the easiest fight for Zepeda of the champions because he’s a fighter who can do it all and is on another level skills-wise compared to Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis. Vasily Lomachenko is more similar to Berinchyk in the skills department.
“I would love for William Zepeda to be a world champion when he faces Shakur Stevenson and when he fights all the other guys,” said De La Hoya.
Zepeda must go the mandatory route with the WBO if he wants a title shot against Berinchyk.
“If it were up to me, I’d have him fight again this year. He went a few rounds. He’s clean and didn’t get cut. He’s back in the gym on Monday, so I think we have a future superstar on our hands,” said De LaHoya.
Oscar doesn’t say who he has in mind for Zepeda’s next fight, but there are a lot of top-level fighters in the lightweight division that would be ideal.
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