{"id":782819,"date":"2026-07-06T14:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/782819\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:47:10","slug":"shakur-stevenson-makes-confident-lamont-roach-william-zepeda-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/782819\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakur Stevenson Makes Confident Lamont Roach-William Zepeda Prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shakur Stevenson already knows who he expects to win the vacant WBC lightweight title fight between Lamont Roach Jr. and William Zepeda<\/a> on August 1.<\/p>\n

While Stevenson currently reigns over the 140-pound division, he spent years as one of the most dominant lightweights on the planet. He was only forced to give up the WBC lightweight title<\/a> when the sanctioning body stripped him of the belt over a champion fee dispute.<\/p>\n

Stevenson’s old belt is now up for grabs, with one of his former opponents, William Zepeda, facing Lamont Roach Jr. for the vacant strap. Roach opened as a modest 2-1 favorite, but Stevenson is expecting him to win by an even wider margin.<\/p>\n

\"Shakur<\/p>\n

Shakur Stevenson | IMAGO \/ Torsten Helmke<\/p>\n

Shakur Stevenson predicts Roach vs Zepeda winner<\/p>\n

“I got Roach over Zepeda ngl and I lowkey got it BTA,” Stevenson tweeted.<\/p>\n

Stevenson’s “BTA” prediction refers to the common slang term “belt to a–,” implying he sees Roach running away with the fight.<\/p>\n

I got Roach over Zepeda ngl and I lowkey got it BTA<\/p>\n

\u2014 Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) July 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The 29-year-old pound-for-pound star moved up to 140 pounds in January to challenge then-WBO and The Ring junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez. He dominated all 12 rounds to improve to 25-0 and become a four-division champion.<\/p>\n

Although he previously stated that he would return to 135 pounds<\/a> after fighting Lopez, Stevenson now appears content with his new division, particularly with the WBC controversially stripping him of his former title. The New Jersey native recently teased a potential unification bout with WBA junior lightweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell.<\/p>\n

Lamont Roach Jr. faces William Zepeda for WBC lightweight title\"William<\/p>\n

William Zepeda. | IMAGO\/ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n

Despite neither currently holding a belt, Roach and Zepeda are two of the biggest stars in a lightweight division suddenly desperate for a leading pay-per-view draw. Stevenson will be far from the only person tuning in to their highly anticipated Aug. 1 clash.<\/p>\n

Roach and Zepeda are both coming off undesirable results in recent high-profile title bouts. Zepeda suffered the first loss of his professional career to Stevenson in July 2025, in what ended up being the champion’s final fight in the division.<\/p>\n

Likewise, Roach moved up to 140 pounds to challenge WBC interim junior welterweight champion Isaac Cruz, whom he fought to a majority draw<\/a>. The official score was Roach’s second consecutive controversial draw, coming nine months after his hotly contested stalemate with Gervonta Davis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zepeda and Roach are respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the WBC’s lightweight rankings. Interim champion Jadier Herrera likely awaits the winner at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

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