Top-ranked lightweight contender William Zepeda returns Saturday to fight Giovanni Cabrera, headlining a Golden Boy show on DAZN at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
Across the country on the same night, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson is set to face Artem Harutyunyan.
A long-discussed fight between the savvy Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) and tour de force Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) hasn’t come close to crossing the negotiations finish line, and now they’ll step into their respective fights as heavy favorites.
According to DraftKings, Stevenson is a -2500 favorite, while Zepeda is listed at -2000.
The Mexican knockout artist has quickly ascended the lightweight rankings after bulldozing through the likes of Maxi Hughes, Mercito Gesta, Joseph Diaz Jr., Rene Alvarado and Hector Tanajara ever since making his US debut less than four years ago.
The 24-year-old nicknamed “Camaron” is ranked as the No. 1 lightweight by the major sanctioning bodies.
Zepeda considers Davis the crème de la crème of the division ahead of his contest against the crafty Cabrera (22-1, 7 KOs).
“Davis would be a great fight and it would probably be the most complicated fight at 135 pounds because of his youth, strength and mobility,” Zepeda told BoxingScene.
“I would have to work harder in the gym if that fight did come to fruition. It's going to happen. It would definitely be a more complicated fight than Stevenson. I could try to attack Shakur a little bit more as opposed to Tank, who I would need to watch for what I am throwing and not throw the same punches all of the time. He's someone who knows and who studies. He's not only good on the attack but he knows exactly when to counter and take those shots. So it would definitely be more difficult. Gervonta is probably the most difficult fighter in our division. Not only can he box, but he can punch.”
“I'd like Shakur next. Our styles mesh. He's the type of fighter who doesn't really put himself in danger in his fights. I would have to go after him, and he would box. But I think it would be a very entertaining fight.
“We're willing to fight and I think that fight is going to happen.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.