William Zepeda crowned WBC lightweight champion after epic war with Lamont Roach

William “Camarón” Zepeda crowned new WBC Lightweight World Champion after titanic battle against Lamont Roach Jr

By Tim Rickson3 Aug 2026 · Updated 51m ago · 2 min read

William Zepeda vs Lamont Roach Jr results — William Zepeda conquers Lamont Roach Jr WBC

In a thrilling fight night on Saturday night, August 1, at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Mexican warrior William “Camarón” Zepeda (34-1, 27 KOs) achieved historic redemption by capturing the vacant WBC Lightweight World Championship in an epic battle with American Lamont Roach Jr (25-2-3, 15 KOs).

The 30-year-old Mexican triumphed by unanimous decision in an absolute classic, a fight to remember.

Zepeda challenged for the same title in his last fight last year, losing on points to the titleholder Shakur Stevenson. 13 months later he was able to clinch the belt that eluded him the first time around.

Throughout the 12 rounds, “Camarón” maintained a relentless pressure that ultimately wore down the resistance of a very courageous Roach Jr.

The southpaw was the aggressor throughout, targeting the body of Roach, who tucked up defensively. Zepeda forced Roach to fight in close quarters and inevitably got caught a few times, but his combination punching had him way ahead on the cards.

The official scorecards awarded and recorded a decisive victory to the Mexican with scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110.

To ensure maximum fairness and clarity in this high-calibre battle, the WBC implemented the Open Scoring system at the end of rounds four and eight.

This official organisation protocol allows the corners, fans, and broadcast team to know the three judges’ scorecards in real time during the fight.

At the end of the fourth round, the scores showed “Camarón” ahead on two cards by 39-37 with a draw on the third at 38-38.

By the end of the eighth round, the Mexican’s lead was consolidated across all three judges’ scorecards with tallies of 77-75, 77-75, and 78-74. Revealing these partial scores provided absolute certainty about the action and injected an extra dose of drama into the final rounds.

In addition to claiming the iconic Green and Gold belt in the lightweight division, William Zepeda was honoured with a special WBC World Champion Ring, crafted by the prestigious firm Maestros Joyeros. This magnificent jewellery masterpiece symbolises brilliance, dedication, hard work, and athletic achievement at the highest level of professional boxing

The WBC congratulated William “Camarón” Zepeda and his entire team on this extraordinary heart and soul achievement, as well as Lamont Roach Jr. for his dedication and stellar sportsmanship in a fight that elevates world boxing.