Abel Sanchez Explains William Zepeda’s Dominant Win Over Lamont Roach

“I was a little surprised on how easy it was for him to pressure and to control Lamont Roach’s movements and combinations. He never allowed him to get off,” Sanchez said to Fight Hub TV. “Is this a result of going back to the drawing board and learning from the Shakur fight? I’m sure it was part of it, but the other part, it just seemed like maybe Lamont’s not ready for that level yet.”

Instead of dwelling on Roach’s shortcomings, the veteran trainer gave most of the credit to Zepeda. He highlighted the champion’s conditioning and refusal to abandon his approach in pursuit of a knockout. Even when Roach had success in the opening rounds, Zepeda stayed composed and broke up any attempt to build momentum.

“Zepeda looked like he not only learned from the Shakur fight, but he looked like he had a plan,” Sanchez said. “He had plenty of gas. He was able to do it for the whole fight. He never really allowed Roach to get into a rhythm. I think Zepeda deserves a lot of credit not only for his game plan but that he stuck to it and just continued that pressure.”

His size and strength also worked in Zepeda’s favor throughout the contest.

“You and a lot of people, including myself, but the size difference was more than I thought it would be,” Sanchez said. “The strength difference was more than I thought it would be. Zepeda used not only his size, but strength. He fought the right fight. He was turning Lamont and never really let Lamont get into a rhythm.”

Looking ahead, Sanchez identified IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla and WBO titleholder Abdullah Mason as potential opponents. Mason, however, remained Sanchez’s preferred choice because he believes the unbeaten champion’s aggressive style would produce a far different fight than Zepeda’s tactical meeting with Shakur Stevenson.