By: Sean Crose
The 25-1-3 Lamont Roach slipped in between the ropes in Las Vegas on Saturday night to win what he had longed to possess – a world lightweight title. Roach, a well-regarded Washington DC area fighter, had seen his last two fights end in draws. One was against Gervonta Davis, the other against Isaac Cruz. People felt Roach should have won both, especially the Davis fight. The judges had spoken on both occasions however and the less popular Roach had to settle for draws in those battles that many thought he had won. Should he win on Saturday night however Roach couldn’t be ignored anymore. He would once again be a world champion.
Having been a junior lightweight titlist was no doubt a thrill for Roach, who once held the WBA version of that title, but he was now more than eager to take hold of the WBC lightweight title after all the work he’d put into achieving that goal.
Winning the WBC title however would most likely be difficult as Roach was fighting the talented and equally hungry William Zepeda. The 33-1contender was an all-action fighter, entertaining to watch, and a problem for any opponent. At least on paper Saturday’s match had the making of an exciting, entertaining affair.
And indeed the fight ended up being somewhat entertaining. Okay it was more than somewhat entertaining it was a solid affair. It wasn’t a good night for Roach however who was dominated for most of the fight by the stronger, harder hitting, and taller Zepeda There would be no draw this time. And if there had been a draw it would have been unfair to Zepeda after the terrific performance he put on. The bottom line is that Roach lost the fight fair and square. The judges unanimously awarded the win to Zepeda which was the fair thing to do.
Roach had gotten a lot of attention for the controversial draws he had suffered through. And he deserved that attention. He indeed was on the losing end of some controversial decisions (yes getting a draw can make you on the losing end of a decision). That wasn’t the case this weekend in Las Vegas however. Zepeda was simply the better man. Indeed the new WBC Titleist was something to see in action. The guy was non-stop movement, non-stop aggression, and Non-Stop determination. It was certainly a strategy that paid off well for the man. It’ll be interesting to see what the future brings for the Mexican fighter.
“I want to become undisputed,” Zepeda said. “I don’t care who it is.” For his own part Roach was honest and gracious about what had happened. “No excuses,” he said. “I take my hat off to that team.” Fight fans all around should take a cue from Roach and tip their hats to the Zepeda and his team as well. He gave it his all and performed spectacularly. As for Roach, he said he’d be back, and he likely will. Some fighters can learn from their mistakes, and Roach may just be one of those fighters. Time will tell the tale.
Earlier in the evening, Raymond Muratalla bested Robson Conceicao, successfully defending his IBF lightweight title. Weather mercalla can go on to defeat the likes of Shakur Stevenson is he apparently hopes to remains to be seen. He is without doubt a sharp highly skilled fighter. Ironically enough Muratall said after the fight that he wasn’t impressed with his own performance. Here is a man who takes his business seriously…something that’s nice to see in the modern fight world. There should be more fighters out there who are like him.
