WBC Orders William Zepeda to Defend Lightweight Title Against Jadier Herrera
The WBC has ordered William Zepeda to make his first lightweight title defense against interim champion Jadier Herrera.
The WBC has ordered William Zepeda to make his first defense of the lightweight title against interim champion Jadier Herrera, per Boxing News 24.
Herrera, the unbeaten Cuban southpaw, holds an 18-0 record with 16 knockouts. He earned the interim belt but was bypassed when the full championship became vacant, as the WBC instead sanctioned Zepeda against Lamont Roach. That decision left Herrera waiting on the outside. The WBC is now correcting course.
Purse bids are set for Tuesday, October 20 if the two camps cannot finalize negotiations on their own. The fight gives Herrera his first crack at a full world title and puts Zepeda in against a younger southpaw with legitimate power.
Questions remain about Herrera's ability to handle a 12-round fight against elite competition. His knockout ratio is absurd, but the level of opposition has not tested his engine the way Zepeda's sustained pressure will.
Zepeda, who lost to Shakur Stevenson before winning the vacant belt, will be defending at 135 pounds for the first time as full champion.
Zepeda is a pressure fighter who throws with bad intentions, but Herrera is no walkover. Eighteen wins, sixteen by knockout, and a southpaw stance that has historically given action fighters problems. The Cuban has been sitting in the interim belt purgatory for too long, and the WBC doing the right thing here is a pleasant surprise.
The real question is whether Herrera can sustain that power over 12 rounds against someone who will not let him breathe. Zepeda walks you down and smothers you with combinations. If Herrera's gas tank is real, this is a legitimate 50-50 fight. If it is not, Zepeda breaks him down in the middle rounds.
Either way, this is a fight fans should want. Two guys who come to hurt you, meeting at 135 pounds with a world title on the line. Purse bids on October 20 means we could see this before year's end.
