Overview
- William Zepeda claimed the vacant WBC lightweight title by unanimous decision over Lamont Roach on Aug. 1, with official scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 118-110.
- Raymond Muratalla retained the IBF lightweight belt the same night by wide unanimous decision and said after the fight that he is likely to move up in weight.
- Both fighters made weight at 134.6 pounds at the official weigh-in, and Roach entered the bout as the betting favorite in many markets before Zepeda’s win shifted public perceptions.
- The card used WBC open scoring, with judges’ totals revealed after rounds four and eight, and it was carried widely on DAZN, TNT and truTV with HBO Max streaming availability.
- The fight settled a key style matchup between Roach’s technical boxing and Zepeda’s high-volume pressure, with Roach conceding post-fight that Zepeda was one step ahead and Zepeda naming unification as his next aim.