William Zepeda Injury Update: Lightweight Contender Out For 6-8 Weeks

William Zepeda posted on Instagram at the moment that he injured his left hand throughout his struggle with Tevin Farmer final Saturday night time and has been suggested by medical doctors to take “6 to eight weeks of relaxation” to recuperate earlier than returning to the fitness center.

That harm will hold #1 ranked contender Zepeda on the shelf till early 2025. At that time, he and his promoters at Golden Boy can search for one of many light-weight champions for him to problem. With Zepeda’s rankings with the 4 sanctioning our bodies, he has his decide of which champion to problem.

Unbeaten light-weight contender Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) had been thought-about the subsequent challenger for WBC 135-lb champion Shakur Stevenson for February twenty second in Riyadh. Sadly, that’s not doable due to the harm.

Physician’s Orders

“After our final match [Tevin Farmer], we left with an harm to our left hand. We had been making ready to return to the fitness center quickly, however for medical analysis, they really useful 6 to eight weeks of relaxation for higher restoration. For us, you will need to have this small break to learn our profession; we all know that in 2025, nice alternatives are coming, and we’ve got to be 100%. After this restoration interval, we wish to return on the finish of March,” mentioned William Zepeda on Instagram at the moment.

Shakur is upset about shedding out on the Zepeda struggle, but it surely’s good for him. The probabilities are excessive that he would lose to Zepeda, who, together with his excessive 100+ punch per spherical output, is on one other stage than the low-out Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs). Zepeda is a throwback fighter from the Nineteen Eighties, one other Aaron Pryor kind of high-output fighter.

Pryor was extra of an arm puncher within the Artur Beterbiev mould.  Zepeda throws with energy and by no means stops throwing, which is why he’s some of the entertaining fighters within the sport and simply probably the most fulfilling to observe within the 135-lb division.

Informal followers seemingly have by no means seen or heard of Pryor, however the ultra-hardcore followers know of him, and he had a excessive work price, identical to Zepeda. Pryor’s fights towards Alexis Arguello had been a legend, and Zepeda fights the identical method, however he’s extra of a physique puncher.

Title Shot Postponed

Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez confirmed final Saturday night time that Zepeda, 28, was injured and couldn’t take the struggle with Shakur. He says Zepeda nonetheless desires that struggle, however he can’t take it now.

Shakur’s followers are upset about Zepeda struggling an harm, however that’s simply the way it goes. He fought Tevin Farmer final Saturday, and he threw a large quantity of punches, a lot of them connecting. When a fighter lands as many arduous punches as Zepeda did in that struggle, hand accidents occur.

Zepeda-Farmer Punch stats

– William Zepeda:  259 of 778 punches for a 33.3% join price– Tevin Farmer: 193 of 587 for 32.9%.

When Zepeda returns from his harm, he can look towards WBA light-weight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. His tentatively scheduled title protection towards Lamont Roach Jr. is March 1st. If it doesn’t get moved once more, Tank can get that out of the best way after which start negotiations for a struggle with Zepeda.