What to Know
- It was a one-sided but thrilling performance as William Zepeda overwhelmed Lamont Roach Jr. with his fierce work rate to win the WBC World Lightweight championship.
- Raymond Muratalla will move up to the 140-pound division after defending his IBF World Lightweight title against Robson Conceição.
- Taking in the action at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas: Teofimo Lopez, Abdullah Mason, and Kevin Durant.
William Zepeda and Lamont Roach Jr. delivered the thrilling action fight fans at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas were counting on Saturday night. What they may not have counted on was how Zepeda outworked and overwhelmed Roach Jr. with the relentless offense “El Cameron” has become known for.
A determined Zepeda of Mexico (34-1, 27 KOs) blew right through Roach Jr. of Upper Marlboro, Maryland (25-2-3, 10 KOs) with a sensational, star-making performance. Scores were 118-110, 117-111, 117-111 – without controversy.
Zepeda said he would hit Roach Jr. with so many punches, he would think he was fighting an octopus. Octopus or shrimp, it was all working for Zepeda. Zepeda never let Roach Jr. catch his breath, and Zepeda never took one.
Zepeda is LOCKED IN 🔒🥊#TheFight | #RoachZepeda | Live Now on DAZN and TNT ▪️ pic.twitter.com/zKvAFHdEFc
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 2, 2026
Zepeda said he knew he had to respect every punch Roach Jr. threw, “but we were ready for every punch and every counter.”
The way the fight played out makes Shakur Stevenson’s win over William Zepeda even more impressive. Lamont Roach Jr. couldn’t find a way to stop or evade Zepeda. Few fighters could. Stevenson is one of them.
“Against Shakur, it was an exam I couldn’t pass,” said Zepeda. “And you know what? It was humbling. But we took the time, we came back stronger and worked on our weaknesses, and we came back champions.”
To his credit, Roach Jr. never stopped looking for ways to defuse Zepeda. The only way he would succeed is by increasing his own work rate to match the Mexican’s. Roach Jr. landed several effective shots in the championship rounds, knowing what he was up against, including a hard right hook in the 12th round, but it was just not enough.
Big Numbers for El Cameron Zepeda
CompuBox statistics aren’t scorecards, but they sometimes tell the story of a fight.
Zepeda said his 16-month break after the Stevenson loss to regroup was an important factor in his performance. “The body breaks down. You think I’m a machine, but the body breaks down. I needed that break.
“But my true Mexican spirit was always going to come through, and and win fights like this.”
Zepeda said he loves to represent Mexico in the United States. “I’m a Mexican, but I have American dreams to come to Las Vegas and become a world champion.”
Roach Jr. was gracious after what must have been a demoralizing loss. “Zepeda was well prepared tonight. Him and his team, they had a tremendous game plan. They put it into play. No excuses, I take my hat off to their team. He was one step ahead of me tonight … I just didn’t succeed, that’s it.”
Roach Jr. said he would be coming back “better than ever … I have nothing to hang my head for. I fought tough, I fought to the end.”
Zepeda said his goal will be to unify the lightweight division and fight the other champions. If he fights as he did on Saturday, fans are in for a good time.
Raymond Muratalla Rolls Over Robson Conceição
IBF World Lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla carried the confidence of a champion into the ring and imposed his size and skills on former junior lightweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição. It was a brilliant performance full of subtle touches along with plenty of power shots to make any boxing fan happy, a pleasure to watch.
Muratalla of Fontana (25-0, 17 KOs) was denied a knockout by the tough Conceição of Salvador, Brazil (21-341, 10 KOs), who has never been stopped. He had to be satisfied with a solid decision victory. Scores were 119-109, 119-109, 118-110.
Fighter of the Year campain loading… 🌟⚠️ #MuratallaConceicao pic.twitter.com/sHS7SEkoC5
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 2, 2026
Heading for 140 Pounds
The champion wasn’t satisfied with his performance, admitting it is difficult for him to keep making the 135-pound weight limit. He said it would be his last fight at lightweight and that he will move to 140 pounds.
Conceição is a good fighter but no longer great at age 37 after many tough rounds. The Olympic gold medalist always comes to a fight in superb condition. It helped him withstand several punishing punches. But he looked nearly a full division smaller than Muratalla and could not match his speed. Muratalla had Conceição backing up from the opening bell as he peppered him to the body and head.
At times, Muratalla looked a bit like his stablemate Bam Rodriguez, pivoting and firing punches from angles at Conceição, then evading return shots. Conceição knew he would need to pick up the pace and work rate. But he was already doing everything he could to get to Muratalla. He had a strong sixth round, but he would need a miracle to find more to beat Muratalla.
After four rounds using open scoring, judges had it 40-36, 39-37, 39-37 for Muratalla after four rounds. After eight, 79-73 on all three cards.
Muratalla Can’t Shut It Down
Muratalla was cruising for a win, but after ten rounds, trainer Robert Garcia urged Muratalla to “get him out of there!” He understood the value of a knockout to Muratalla’s future. Muratalla wanted a knockout, but Conceição needed a knockout. Neither could cross the finish line, but it was a sensational show of skill by Muratalla and an admirable effort by Conceição.
“I know he was fading in the later rounds, so I was trying to finish him off. But he’s a tricky fighter, you know,” said Muratalla. How about getting off to a good start with a fight against Gary Antuanne Russell, Arnold Barboza Jr., or Dalton Smith?
READ MORE: Las Vegas Undercard Fights Deliver Big Bang and Shocking Knockout
Curiel Wins In Tough Test Against Randall
Perhaps the reason Raul Curiel didn’t make weight for his fight with Quinton Randall was his disappointment in not getting a title eliminator or higher-ranked contender. Curiel of Guadalajara, Mexico (18-0-1, 14 KOs) did what was necessary to defeat Quintin Randall of Houston (17-4-1, 4 KOs) by majority decision. The scorecards were all over the map: 100-90 from judge Patricia Morse Jarman, 97-93, and 95-95.
It was a golden opportunity for the 35-year-old Randall. He was wily enough to go the distance in a decision loss against Brian Norman Jr. Randall called Curiel flat-footed and said he would box his ears off. He started the fight strong and was well in it, using a six-inch reach advantage over Curiel.
Curiel’s ears were still firmly attached by the end of the fight, but he was not cutting off the ring or throwing enough punches for trainer Robert Garcia.
After the fight, Curiel told us he would take the fight as a valuable learning experience against a tricky opponent. But he was walking away with a big smile, saying, “It’s William’s night!”
Charles Conwell Comes Through In Return
Charles Conwell also made the mistake of not taking an opponent seriously. He came into Saturday’s fight after 16 months out of the ring following an upset loss in April 2025 with a lot to prove to his promoters at Golden Boy Boxing.
Conwell of Cleveland (22-1, 17 KOs) got the job done and is keen to re-enter the sweepstakes in the super welterweight division. After punishing Paul Kroll of Philadelphia (12-1-2, 8 KOs) for most of nine rounds, referee Robert Hoyle finally decided Knoll wasn’t going to turn the tide and there was no reason to let him take any more shots. Conwell gets the TKO win his needed at 2:39 of round nine.
“I’m back,” smiled Conwell. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Conwell has endured many ups and downs in his nearly decade-long professional career, including the death of his opponent and friend Patrick Day, whom he continues to honor with his name on his trunks in every fight.
But it was his first loss in a lackluster effort against Chino Perez in April 2025 that shook him up and forced a rethink and a renewed dedication. Conwell said he started training camp early to ensure he was in top shape, and it showed.
Conwell was on his way to a dominant decision win, but he needed the stoppage to prove himself worthy of a title fight or eliminator. Kroll swas visibly breathing hard in the second half of the ten-round fight. Conwell dug to the right side of Kroll’s body, and it was now or never. After a solid series of shots to both sides of Kroll’s chin, the fight was waved off.
Asked about his mindset approaching Kroll, Conwell said, “To be honest, I was trying to find the perfect body shot. Sixteen months out of the ring, I think I still did pretty good.”
Conwell said he was in much better shape than in his last fight and is eager to return to the gym as he seeks the next big fight.
It’s possible he may be an option for his stablemate Vergil Ortiz Jr. If Ortiz Jr. can’t find a dance partner with all the champions tied up, he could do much worse than Conwell.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
