Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. and William “El Camarón” Zepeda will fight for the vacant WBC lightweight world title on Saturday, August 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, announced promoter Golden Boy. The 12-round fight will headline “The Fight,” a fresh monthly series from TNT Sports and DAZN that will air in the United States on TNT and truTV and stream globally on DAZN. Golden Boy promotes itself in cooperation with TGB Promotions and ProBox Promotions.

Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 KO) of Washington, D.C., and Zepeda (33-1, 27 KO) of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, arrived after back-to-back title fights without a win. Last year, Roach Jr. he has fought two majority draws: against Gervonta Davis for the WBA lightweight title in March 2025 and against Isaac Cruz at super lightweight in December 2025. Zepeda has not fought since taking a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson for the WBC lightweight title in July 2025, the only loss of his career.

How the title became empty

The WBC lightweight championship opened after Stevenson moved up to 140 pounds. He collected the WBO junior welterweight title from Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on January 31becoming a four-division champion, after which the WBC declared his 135-pound title vacant. The sanctioning body later ordered Roach Jr. and Zepeda meet for the belt.

“We have been working demanding since my last fight,” Zepeda said in a press release. “We are at the top of the lightweight division and we know that any opponent at this level is a sedate challenge. Once again we have been given the opportunity to fight for the world championship and we are ready to show the world who exactly “El Camarón” Zepeda is. “

Roach Jr., who won the WBA super featherweight title with a split decision victory over Héctor García in November 2023, billed the fight as the next step in his class. “This is my fourth consecutive world title fight in a different weight class,” he said. “Without a doubt, I am bringing boxing back and fighting for the top spot.”

“William Zepeda has fully deserved this opportunity,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and CEO of Golden Boy. “Over the years, he has taken on every challenge put before him and has established himself as one of the most thrilling fighters in boxing with his relentless pressure, incredible work rate and fan-friendly style.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. PT on AXS.com and GoldenBoy.com for $300, $200, $150, $75, $50 and $30 plus applicable fees. Pre-sale will start on Thursday, June 4. Details about the card and credentials will be announced in the coming weeks.

The fight was memorable for several reasons. Chavez was knocked down for the first time in his career and had points deducted twice for low blows. Randall won by split decision, ending a winning streak that lasted nearly 14 years. Chavez later gained revenge in the rematch, winning a technical decision after the fight was stopped due to a clash of heads.

Before Chavez, Sugar Ray Robinson set a standard that few players ever approached. Robinson won his first 40 professional fights before losing to Jake LaMotta in February 1942. The defeat turned out to be only a ephemeral setback.

Three weeks later, Robinson defeated LaMotta in a rematch and began another remarkable streak. Between 1943 and 1951, Robinson won 91 consecutive fights, which remains one of the most impressive achievements in boxing history.

Several other champions ended their careers undefeated or came close to doing so. Mayweather finished his career with a record of 50-0 after winning world titles in five weight classes. Marciano left the sport undefeated with a 49-0 record as heavyweight champion.

Larry Holmes appeared on track to equal Marciano’s heavyweight record before he met Michael Spinks in September 1985. Holmes entered the fight with a 48-0 record, but lost by compact decision, one win shy of matching Marciano.

Joe Calzaghe also finished his career undefeated. The Welsh southpaw retired with a 46-0 record after unifying a share of the super middleweight championship and later defeating Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.

History books also contain the names of players whose long winning streaks have largely faded from public memory. According to Harry Mullan’s The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, Britain’s Hal Bagwell had a winning streak of 183 fights between 1938 and 1948. Packey McFarland recorded 97 consecutive victories between 1905 and 1915, while Spaniard Pedro Carrasco recorded a streak of 93 victories between 1964 and 1971.

Figures from boxing’s first decades can be hard to verify due to incomplete record-keeping and differences between official figures and newspaper decisions. Still, they’re a reminder that winning streaks existed long before the era of television.

Whether measured by the number of victories, longevity or the level of adversity he faced, Robinson’s 91-fight streak and Chavez’s undefeated march through the 1980s remain one of the greatest streaks in history. These are achievements that still stand alongside the perfect records of Mayweather, Marciano and Calzaghe whenever boxing’s longest winning streaks are discussed.

Tyson Fury failed when he twice tried to hand Oleksandr Usyk his first professional defeat in 2024. Now his uncle and former coach, Peter Fury, has highlighted a key reason why he believes the ‘Gypsy King’ was unable to beat the Ukrainian.

Peter Fury trained his nephew before famously winning the world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which was arguably the most impressive victory of his career. However, after a three-year break from the sport, Fury returned with Ben Davison in his corner.

Davison teamed with Fury for five fights until SugarHill Steward was named for the rematch with Deontay Wilder; a move that proved successful because “Kronk’s” style helped the Fury to two legendary triumphs over the “Brown Bomber”.

However, fighting for the undisputed throne, Fury and Steward were unable to defeat Usyk, and the Briton suffered the first defeat of his career before losing again in the rematch.

I’m talking to talkSPORT BoxingPeter Fury, who trained Rico Verhoeven in his controversial clash with Usyk last month, explained that his nephew was not forward enough in his fights with Usyk, believing he did not exploit his height to his advantage.

“As soon as the opening bell rings [went] and I saw how he was doing, I thought, “He’s doing it wrong.” You’re the bigger man, you step on 20 stone and do all the wrong things; instead of moving forward [you’re] standing back.

“He has his team there and I’m not criticizing anyone, but both tactics were not good in both fights. Something went wrong because when you look at Usyk’s structure and what he does, if you distance yourself and try to box an elite boxer who is lighter than you, who is giving away pounds, he will harass you all over the shop.”

Verhoeven’s efforts and Peter Fury’s tactics against Usyk have been praised over the past two weeks and described by some as hosting Usyk’s “toughest professional fight”, and the Dutchman has now climbed into the world rankings despite losing the fight.