William Zepeda will fight former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. or Tevin Farmer on November 16th in Saudi Arabia.
According to Fernando Sabatini on X, the go-getter Kambosos’ Jr. (21-3, 10 KOs) is the likely opponent for the unbeaten Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs). It would be a significant risk for Kambosos, 31, but he’s wealthy now and can afford to take risks to further his career.
The Saudi Arabia Factor: A Lucrative Opportunity
With the fight being staged in Saudi Arabia, Kambosos Jr. and Zepeda will be well-paid if it happens. The winner could challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson in February. That match-up could lead to a summer fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes Shakur will fight Tank, but those plans could change. If Shakur loses to the Zepeda-Kambosos winner, it would be one of those guys in the driver’s seat for a lucrative fight against Tank Davis.
Kambosos, 31, is coming off an 11th-round knockout loss to Vasily Lomachenko on May 12th in Perth, Australia. It was a complete mismatch in every sense of the word, as Kambosos was out of his league against the former three-division world champion Lomachenko, and it looked like he didn’t belong inside the same ring as the talented fighter.
The boxing public would prefer to see Zepeda fight Shakur next, but the two weren’t expected to fight in February anyway. So, it makes sense for Zepeda to pick up a nice payday in Saudi Arabia first against Kambosos to add his name to his resume. Zepeda will likely score a fast knockout of Kambosos within three to five rounds and will be ready to fight Shakur in February as planned.
Kambosos Jr: The Fading Star
Kambosos’ career has turned into meteor dust in the last two years, with him losing three out of his last four fights since 2022. His only win during that time was a questionable 12-round majority decision over Maxi Hughes last July 2023 on a Top Rank-promoted show in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
I watched that fight and had Hughes winning 11-1. Kambosos had his head boxed off by Hughes, and even giving George one round is a stretch. That was the most controversial result I’ve ever seen in my life. There are no words to describe how bad of a robbery it was.
