William Zepeda outworked Lamont Roach Jr across 12 rounds at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on the first of August 2026, taking a unanimous decision, 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111, to become WBC lightweight champion. The title was vacant, and Zepeda landed 218 of 884 punches thrown to Roach’s 153 of 591, improving his own record to 34 wins from 35 fights, with 27 by knockout. For Roach, it was only the second defeat of his career and his first anywhere since 2019, leaving him on 25 wins, 2 losses and 3 draws.

Twelve months ago, Zepeda had none of this to show for himself. He had just been comprehensively outboxed by Shakur Stevenson, the sort of defeat that tends to end a world title chase rather than delay it. Whatever changed in the year between, it showed up in Las Vegas. Roach started the sharper fighter, his counter right and check left hook catching the incoming Zepeda and taking the first two rounds on most cards. From the third onwards, though, Zepeda closed the distance behind a high work rate, mixing hooks and body shots with a jab he threw often enough to matter.

Roach had no answer to the volume of punches being thrown. By the end of the eighth, the Mexican led on all three scorecards, 78-74, 77-75 and 77-75, and Roach never worked his way back into it, sitting on his stool after the ninth looking like a beaten fighter. “Against Shakur, it was an exam I couldn’t pass,” Zepeda said afterwards through an interpreter. “It was humbling. But we took the time, we came back stronger and worked on the weaknesses and now we’re champion.”

Roach, gracious in defeat, put it plainly himself. “Zepeda was well prepared tonight. He and his team had a tremendous game plan, and he put it into place. No excuses. He was just one step ahead of me.”

Zepeda said he wants the biggest names in the division next and a lightweight scene that includes Raymond Muratalla, Abdullah Mason and a rematch with Stevenson himself will take him at his word soon enough. None of that changes what happened on Saturday night, though. The fighter Stevenson beat a year ago is not the one who just left Las Vegas with a world title around his waist, able to call himself one of the best in the world in his weight class.