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Roach vs. Zepeda for the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1

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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.

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Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic

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"Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic"

Moses It will hurt suffered a surprising defeat to Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, and the 21-year-old has now revealed who he wants to face upon his return.

Itauma looked to be fulfilling his destiny and dominating his Croatian opponent during the opening rounds at the O2 Arena over the weekend, but his success soon turned to desperation when Hrgovic’s chin held up and his own stamina did not.

An exhausted Itauma eventually collapsed in round nine of the contestwith Hrgovic pulling off a remarkable upset to throw the heavyweight scene a huge curveball, hand Itauma a first career loss and get his hands on the IBF heavyweight world title.

In an interview with talkSPORT Boxingpromoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma has already asked for a rematch with ‘El Animal’.

“In that last round, he was still firing back. He has got a firing heart, he is a very brave young man, very brave. It’s now about what he does, how he prepares, he is saying to me, ‘can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction.”

Despite the 21-year-old’s desire to take on Hrgovic for a second time, it seems as though the latter will be made to face Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the IBF title under the condition that he would face the winner.

Continuing, Warren seemed to confirm that a scrap between Hrgovic and Sanchez will be next, advising Itauma to take some time off before rushing into a second shot at the heavyweight throne.

“I told him, ‘you have got to just switch off from boxing, go and chill out, go and spend some time with your family and then come back, recharge your batteries and then we will get to work again,’

“The landscape is what it is, he is a a part of it, he has shown that he belongs at that level and provided that we learn and he learns some lessons from the fight, I think that he can go on and do some great things.”

In his post-fight interview, newly-crowned IBF champion Hrgovic spoke of his desire for a bout on home soil in Croatia; where he has not fought since 2019.

As a result, Warren may next target Zagreb for a clash between Hrgovic and Sanchez, which should take place within the next six months.

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Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli

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"Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli"

Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain one of his former super-middleweight titles at the first time of asking when he makes his comeback this October against WBC champion Christian Mbilli. Two-time welterweight ruler Shawn Porter has revealed his prediction for the fight.

Alvarez lost all four of his belts at 168lbs to Terence Crawford last September and has since been sidelined due to an elbow injuryas Crawford’s retirement saw the coronation of four new world champions.

One of those beneficiaries was Mbilli, who had been in possession of the WBC Interim crown when ‘Bud’ decided to hang up the glovesallowing him to be elevated to full champion and then lined up for a showdown with Canelo.

Canelo’s remaining quality at the age of 36 is an ongoing debate amongst fans and analysts, leading many to predict an intriguing and potentially even fight. Yet, speaking on The PorterWay Podcast‘Showtime’ said that Alvarez will look like an ‘A++ fighter’ come fight night.

“Canelo truly does have that fast twitch; he is explosive, but he is explosive with speed and quickness and that fast twitch is going to get Canelo to that mark a little bit quicker.

“Yeah, I think [he can still do it] at 36. If you think about it, even though Canelo is not that ‘A++’ fighter that he used to be, he is still a solid ‘A’ and that solid ‘A’ will beat a solid ‘B’ [in Mbilli].

“That solid ‘B’ will make a solid ‘A’ look like an ‘A++’, so I think that he is going to look ‘A++’.”

Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The super-middleweight duo will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which could feature a bantamweight title unification between WBA champion and pound-for-pound sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and WBO titleholder Christian Medina.

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Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: Its Going to Happen

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"Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: 'It’s Going to Happen'"

Canelo Alvarez could be ordered to enter an immediate title defence if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on October 31.

The Mexican has not fought since September 2025, when he was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight crown after losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.

On that same card, Mbilli retained his WBC ‘interim’ strap following a 10-round draw against Lester Martinezmaintaining his position as one of the top contenders at 168lbs.

The Frenchman was then upgraded to full world champion in December, with Crawford having relinquished his four major titles and announced his retirement as a three-division undisputed king.

Canelo will therefore have the opportunity to reclaim one of his old belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC title.

The winner of their showdown may then be ordered to face Martinez, as the unbeaten mandatory challenger comes off two successful defences of his WBC ‘interim’ strap.

Most recently, the 30-year-old scored a 10th-round stoppage of Luka Plantic last weekend, which followed his unanimous decision victory over Immanuwel Aleem in March.

Speaking at the post-fight presser following his win against Plantic, Martinez said through a translator that he expects to eventually face both Canelo and Mbilli.

“No, look, at the end of the day, I’ve said it before: the second fight [with Mbilli] will happen, possibly next year or the year after. But either one of those fights makes sense for us.

“We know the eyes of the world are going to be on [Mbilli-Canelo]and because we’re going to be there, we’re going to take advantage of all of that. But both fights are going to happen.”

Having already created the “blueprint” to defeat Canelo, Crawford trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre said afterwards that he is supremely confident in guiding Martinez to victory against either Alvarez or Mbilli.

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