The WBC has ordered two of its belts to be contested over the coming months.
According to Ring Magazine, a vacant title will be on the line as the WBC have ordered Lamont Roach Jr to face William Zepeda in the lightweight division. The title was previously held by Shakur Stevenson, but he was stripped following a move to super lightweight when he comfortably defeated Teofimo Lopez in January. Both sides of the fence have 30 days to negotiate a deal or the fight will go to a purse bid.
Roach Jr (25-1-3, 10 KOs) has not won a fight since June 2024. However, his stock has risen considerably following majority-decision draws with Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz last year. Roach Jr was considered unfortunate in his bout with Davis, which saw some debatable refereeing with the WBA lightweight title on the line. The Maryland native had previously won the WBA super featherweight title, making one defense against Fergal McCrory, winning by an 8th-round stoppage.
Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) comes off a unanimous-decision defeat to Stevenson, losing a wide unanimous decision for the WBC title last July. The Mexican southpaw had previously sneaked back-to-back victories against Tevin Farmer.
Yesterday it was also announced by boxingsecene, that Dalton Smith will have to make the first defense of his title against former champion Alberto Puello at super lightweight.
Smith (19-0, 14 KOs), a 29-year-old from Sheffield, traveled to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to rip the WBC title from Subriel Matias in an impressive knockout victory in January. The Yorkshire native made his American debut with a bang, but it’s expected that Smith’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, will bring his first defense back to his homeland.
Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) was elevated to WBC champion last year and would defend his belt in a split-decision victory against Sandor Martin in New York. The Dominican southpaw would relinquish his title in a close majority decision to Smith at the Louis Armstrong Stadium last July. The 31-year-old had a previous stint as the WBA champion, winning the title on close scorecards against Batyr Akhmedov in 2022.