William Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs) is confident of victory over Maxi Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) in their 12-round headliner this Saturday, March 16th. Zepeda vs. Hughes will be shown live on DAZN at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
(Photo Credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
Zepeda can’t help but look past the 34-year-old Hughes toward a title shot against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson or WBA ‘regular’ champion Gervonta Davis.
A title shot probably won’t happen for Zepeda this year, unfortunately. Shakur Stevenson is going to be fighting in July, and he’ll likely be done for the year with that fight.
Tank Davis is fighting Frank Martin next, and he’ll probably sit for the remainder of the year after that fight.
Dissecting Shakur: Zepeda’s Plan for the Champ
“We’re ready for the 12 rounds, and we’re ready for his style,” said William Zepeda to Fighthype talking about Maxi Hughes. “I see myself as a good offense and defensive kind of guy. We know what he’s up to. We know what he can do.”
Hughes will box from the outside and focus on throwing potshots against Zepeda like we saw him use in his last fight against George Kambosos Jr. The 34-year-old Hughes is at his best early on, and tends to tire down the stretch. That’ll cost him if he gasses out against Zepeda.
“Maxi is a great fighter. It’s nothing against him, but what we’ve seen and what we’ve worked on is going to work in our favor this Saturday. I’ve talked to Oscar [De La Hoya] and Golden Boy Promotions about the possibility of that fight,” said Zepeda about a fight against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
“I know that it’s going to happen, one way or another. When people see what we’re going to bring, fans are going to ask for it. When the fans ask for something, something has to happen,” said Zepeda.
If Shakur doesn’t vacate his WBC title, we could see Zepeda get a title shot against him next year. That’ll be a fun cat-and-mouse type of fight, with Zepeda chasing Shakur all night.
“We did notice a lot of things about Shakur. As soon as De Los Santos started hitting him and he felt that punch, he stayed back,” said Zepeda. “He stayed back, and we noticed that. So, if he does that when we fight, it’s going to be a good night for us.
“One of the good things about us is when we fight, we actually box. We’re not just throwing punches. We’re actually boxing, and I think that’s what’s going to take us to the next level if that fight ever happens [with Shakur].
“I’m am ready for 135. I am coming for you,” said Zepeda about his interest in fighting Gervonta Davis.
