Lightweight William “Camaron” Zepeda
Co-Featured On DAZN
By William Trillo
Photo: Marlene Marquez
Not to be missed on The Golden Boy promoted card in Tijuana this Saturday is lightweight KO artist William Zepeda (24-0, 22 KO’s). Zepeda will be taking on Luis Viedas (29-11-1, 10 KOs) in the co-main event of the card that features Jaime Munguia vs. D’Mitrus Ballard in a Middleweight title Main Event that will stream on DAZN.
The first time I saw Zepeda was at The Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. On that night Zepeda dismantled an at the time undefeated Hector Tanajara. Over the course of six brutal rounds the southpaw Zepeda bludgeoned Tanajara. It was then that the corner halted the bout. It was an impressive display by the somewhat under the radar fighter from Mexico.
Four months later I was in attendance to Zepeda’s next bout in Anaheim, California. Once again, I was more than impressed with the way Zepeda conducted his business. In this bout, the fighter they call “Camaron” stopped John Moralde inside of four rounds. If you like fighters that fight then you need to catch Zepeda’s show this weekend. He is must see TV.
I was fortunate to get a chance to speak with Zepeda only days before his upcoming bout. I am sure you will enjoy what the humble warrior has to say.
Pound4Pound: I appreciate so much that you have given me time to speak with you because I know how it is for you guys on fight week.
William Zepeda: The pleasure is all mine. Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me.
P4P: Okay, let’s do it. All due respect to the fighters in the main event this weekend, but in my opinion you and Vergil Ortiz are on the top tier of fighters in the Golden Boy stable.
WZ: I appreciate your point of view. You know, Golden Boy has a lot of strong fighters that have great characteristics and great abilities. Then, they have other fighters that maybe get distracted. I see that Vergil is very similar in the way we approach a fight. We train 100%. Vergil is very strong and like myself, he likes to show his abilities in the ring. Something that we both share is that we commit 100% into our fights. I really appreciate your point of view.
P4P: Awesome. Your record is spectacular, 24 wins with 22 knockouts. Are you aware that the last time somebody went the distance with you was some five years ago?
WZ: I always prepare to go the distance. But boxing is so unpredictable, it could take one shot, and that’s all it takes. I like to take it slow; I like to have patience because you know one day there’s going to be that fighter that can go the distance and I can’t rely on trying to make it end early. I go into the ring and do my job. If the knockout comes, then it comes. If there is an opportunity for me to see the weaknesses in my opponent and to be able to systematically break him down early, then of course I will take that opportunity. But I am not going in there mentally looking for the knockout. I want to make sure that I am patient and that I do my job. And then, if the knockout comes it comes.
P4P: As it turns out you had a change in opponents and now will be taking on Luis Viedas. How long have he had to prepare for this opponent?
WZ : Well, I was preparing to fight Yerel Siezar but the fighter was changed and with that I changed a little bit of my strategy. I have always trained for extreme pressure. I always intend to pressure the opponent. I practice my boxing skills and focus on applying pressure to the body to the other fighter. I also have to be prepared to protect myself and never underestimate the new opponent because in this case this fighter does have a lot of experience. But you know, I prepare 100% for every fight. I am ready to put on a good fight on Saturday night.
P4P: I have one last question. You own the WBA Continental Title. You are ranked number seven in the WBA. If everything goes well on Saturday, what will be your career goals for this coming year?
WZ: After this fight on Saturday, and God lets me win, I will be in a really good position to take on another fight this year and then go to the drawing board and talk to Roberto Diaz to find a good fight to advance and get the experience I need and just keep getting better.
P4P: Okay, great. Thank you so much. Seriously, you are one of my favorite fighters. I like fighters that fight and you are definitely on that list. I’m really looking forward to seeing you fight Saturday and I really appreciate you giving me the opportunity to chat. Good luck this weekend.
WZ: Thank you so much for your time. I want to thank my “Tocayo” (namesake) for the interview and for the good vibes and for you the great things that you have said about me as a fighter. I really appreciate it.
P4P: You’re welcome.
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