On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Lightweight contender William Zepeda beat Tevin Farmer for the second time in five months, but on Saturday night in Cancun, MX, he appeared to be a fighter who is only one-dimensional. Have we already seen the best of Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs), or does he have another gear that he was unable to show fans in these last two fights against Farmer?
Has William Zepeda Reached His Ceiling?
It isn’t an easy task when you enter into a fight with former super featherweight champion Farmer (33-8-1, 8 KOs). Just ask Raymond Muratalla, who was in a close, competitive fight with Farmer in July. On Saturday, the idea was to see something different from Zepeda, who earned a narrow, split decision over Farmer in November. The only problem is that we didn’t.
Zepeda, 28 from San Mateo Atenco, MX, led with his head in the rematch with Farmer and relied on pure volume to get him out of trouble and win the fight. Farmer was able to set up traps successfully and took advantage of Zepeda during the moments when Farmer himself was most vulnerable. It was a move that only a few veterans in the sport could get away with. The two times in the fight when the referee was close to stopping it, Zepeda could not finish Farmer. The great ones know how to close the show and Zepeda isn’t quite there. He also found himself on the receiving end of a left uppercut by Farmer in both moments, which hurt him, including the last round.
It wasn’t all bad for Zepeda, as he cut the ring off better in the rematch than in the first fight. He also was able to find success in landing his punches to the body of Farmer, which slowed him down faster this time around. Zepeda’s motor lasted the 12 rounds, and he looked fresher late, which was good to see after the disastrous outing against Farmer in Riyadh last year.
Going into the fight, I was expecting Zepeda to add a new wrinkle to his game and maybe even stop Farmer the second time around. I wasn’t alone in that thinking, as the oddsmakers favored Zepeda to win by stoppage. Instead, I saw the same Zepeda makeup, and thoughts began circulating in my mind about whether he was truly ready for the Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko, and Gervonta Davis’ of the world.
All four world champions would have likely beaten the version of Zepeda we saw on Saturday. Maybe he just had a bad night, but that would mean he had two bad nights in a row within six months. It just doesn’t look like there will be a higher-level version of Zepeda that would bust out in a world title fight. He is who he is, and after throwing a thousand-plus punches a fight while also taking some clean shots to the head, the current version of Zepeda may be the best we will get.
Who Will Zepeda Face For His First World Title Shot?
Before the two Farmer fights, it seemed inevitable that Zepeda would face Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title. After Saturday, there may not be a rush to do that one, and Golden Boy would have to look at which fight gives Zepeda the more favorable matchup. Looking at all four champions, Zepeda vs. Lomachenko makes the most sense for Golden Boy. Loma is coming off an injury and is 37 years old. Zepeda is ranked #1 with the WBA and could decide that getting a title opportunity with an older but still dangerous fighter may be the best option.
If Zepeda and his team decide to face Stevenson and it ends up being on a Riyadh Season card, Zepeda will have a hard time trying to catch Stevenson all night long. If Farmer was a handful while being well past his prime, Stevenson would have too fast of feet and reflexes for Zepeda to succeed.
Whether he appears ready for a title shot or not, the time is now (preferably his next fight) for Zepeda, and Golden Boy needs to throw him in the deep end of the pool to see if they have a future star or someone who benefited from good matchmaking on the way up.
More must-reads:
- Baseball Hall of Fame announces eight names on Era Committee ballot
- Bills might finally have the formula to beating Chiefs in January
- The 'NFL Passing YPG leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
D-backs Pitcher Enters Free Agency
As the World Series comes to a conclusion, the MLB offseason officially commences. That means three of the Arizona Diamondbacks pending free agents have officially entered free agency, One such free agent is left-hander Jalen Beeks. Beeks, alongside former ace Zac Gallen and veteran backup catcher James McCann, were listed among the 137 players hitting free agency, in a statement released by the MLB Players' Association. For more on Gallen's free agency, check out the below article: Related Content: Zac Gallen Takes First Free Agency Step The D-backs are among the teams with the lower free agent departure totals. With the five-day "quiet period" following the World Series, teams will have the option to re-sign their own players without competition. Unlike Gallen, Beeks is an arm that seems like a much more reasonable re-sign for Arizona. Arizona Diamondbacks' Jalen Beeks Enters Free Agency The 32-year-old veteran left-hander was a last-second pickup for GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs, joining the team just prior to Opening Day. He quickly became one of the few arms trusted to take on a workhorse load out of the bullpen, as Arizona's relief corps suffered injury after injury. And he certainly did take a large share of the innings. Beeks tossed 57.1 innings, and likely would have been used even more if not for an IL stint (followed by careful usage) in the latter third of the regular season. Still, the lefty posted a solid 3.77 ERA, inflated somewhat by a few blowup outings. He's also had generally solid, if not eye-popping peripheral metrics, even during some of his uglier ERA seasons. Finding quality left-handed relief pitching is no easy feat. Considering Beeks made only $1.25 million with Arizona in 2025, even a slight increase in that amount would likely be money well spent. Related Content: Diamondbacks Have to Address This Bullpen Need Again The Diamondbacks already face an uphill battle with regard to bolstering their bullpen and starting rotation. An in-house option with a history of stability would be a beneficial return, even if regression is a distinct possibility. Regardless, the Diamondbacks absolutely must make an attempt at acquiring a closer (as well as another legitimate leverage arm) if they want to weather the storm before Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return. Beeks does not necessarily fill that type of role, but he does have leverage experience, and would likely perform well in a middle-relief role without the pressure of having to serve as the setup man or closer in 2026. Related Content: Should the Diamondbacks Bring Back this Veteran Reliever? Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News
Brewers Make Savvy Roster Move To Protect 25-Year-Old Curveball Specialist
The Milwaukee Brewers had a flurry of roster activity on Monday, but only one decision of serious consequence was made. Starting pitcher Freddy Peralta had his club option exercised, while fellow starter Brandon Woodruff and catcher Danny Jansen had mutual options that were declined by one of the parties. But those were all foregone conclusions. What was less certain, however, was whether the Brewers would keep one of their pitching prospects or expose him to the Rule 5 Draft in December. Brewers add Coleman Crow to 40-man roster On Monday, the Brewers added a new player to the 40-man roster: right-handed pitcher Coleman Crow. He's 24, throws a filthy curveball, and is a candidate to make his major league debut at some point within the next season. This season, Crow made 12 minor-league appearances -- 10 in Double-A, and two in Triple-A. He was having a very strong year, posting a 3.24 combined ERA and 64 strikeouts in 50 innings, but unfortunately, hip and forearm injuries kept him from pitching after July 9. Since mid-2023, Crow has been traded twice (once to the New York Mets, then to the Brewers) and also underwent Tommy John surgery. But MLB Pipeline still has him as the No. 25 prospect in the organization, and if the Brewers have a great track record with anything in recent years, it's getting the most from their young pitchers. The Brewers still have a first-round pick, oft-injured outfielder Eric Brown Jr., who could be Rule 5 eligible if he's not protected. On the pitching side, righty Justin Yeager is another name to watch, as the 27-year-old delivered a fantastic 2.04 ERA this past season and could probably be in a big-league bullpen to start next year. At some point next season, expect to see Crow get a shot at working out of the Brewers' rotation. That could come because someone else gets injured, or simply because he winds up dealing at Triple-A to begin the year and Milwaukee doesn't sign any big-name free agents.
Bears survey trade market after losing Dayo Odeyingbo for the year
It's likely to be costly but the Bears must pay the price now at defensive end with the season-ending loss of edge starter Dayo Odeyingbo to a torn Achilles. The free agent acquisition can look forward to a tough rehab from an injury that frequently takes up to a year to get past. Austin Booker will get to play most of the snaps at that position now. Without Odeyingbo and with Shemar Turner out for the year, they're without two edge but also Dominique Robinson has a high ankle sprain. "I thought Book played a nice game yesterday," coach Ben Johnson said. "I was very pleased to see that for his first game back. So no (not worried), I do have a lot of confidence there. Hopefully we’ll get Dom Robinson back too. He was doing some nice things there early in the season as well. We’ve got some depth. You can never have too many pass rusher. "You can never have too many cover players on the back end either. That’s how I have always felt since I’ve been in this league.” Actually, they don't have depth now, at least not proven edge players but he's right about the need always for players at that position. So the trade market beckons for GM Ryan Poles by Tuesday at 3 p.m. "I know Ryan and his crew have been doing their due diligence all throughout the fall, all the way up until tomorrow to make sure we’re turning over every stone to make sure if there’s a way that we can improve this roster, we’ll do that," Johnson said. "But I feel good about the guys we have on the roster currently." Trading now will be a case of biting the bullet and doing what they must. The attitude by Poles has always been to preserve his draft picks, but he didn't mind giving up a future fourth-round pick to draft Booker. So giving up as much as a second or third shouldn't hurt too much. "Those are always great questions. Ryan and I have a constant dialogue on players that might be available," Johnson said. "We talk nonstop about this and we've been doing it for a while now. He's doing, like I said, his due diligence to making sure that we look at everyone that could be available and that could help this football team in the here and the now, and also have in the back of our head what the ramifications of that also are (long term), the consequences when you give up capital, whether it's players or draft picks, what that does to your roster in the long-term. "It is a balancing act, but it's one that I think we have a really good process and a lot of communication on." The Bears missed on a chance for Jaelan Phillips, the Miami edge rusher. He was acquired in a trade by the Eagles from Miami earlier Monday. There had been reports the Bears had interest in him. It cost th Eagles a third-round pick. Because Odeyingbo was a more stout player who fit the Dennis Allen defensive scheme as a run stopper/edge rusher, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were looking for someone in the plus-260 range for weight. Booker isn't that type of player, and is only in his second year. He just became active Sunday after a knee injury in preseason landed him on IR. Booker had a strip-sack in the game. Pro Football Focus gave Booker the highest grade of any Bears player for pass rush on Sunday, an 85.8 for pass rush for 31 snaps. Gervon Dexter recovered the fumble caused by Booker on the sack of Joe Flacco and it led to a field goal. Booker has 2 1/2 career sacks and seven pressures according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. Players actually on the trade market could include Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, Miami's Bradley Chubb, New Orleans' Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan. Both Granderson and Jordan played against the Bears last month and played a huge chunk of their careers for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Speculation the Giants would trade Kayvon Thibodeaux appears unfounded. Dianna Russini reported the Giants have told teams they want a first-round pick in exchange. That would have been interesting for the Bears and especially the Giants since they play each other this week. Cleveland's Myles Garrett has repeatedly demanded a trade but the Browns are resistant to that. Besides, his salary would take the Bears far over the cap and would require cutting someone or restructuring several contracts if it's even possible. The Raiders have also said they are not trading Maxx Crosby, but their season is slipping away now after yet another tight loss and perhaps they would listen to requests. The problem the Bears have for trading at this point in the season and with few edges on their roster is 1) the competition and 2) their own desperation. Whoever has a qualified edge is going to demand the highest compensation in a trade for draft picks. The Lions, 49rs, Cowboys and several other teams could be seeking an edge besides the Bears. The Bears have $7.88 million available in cap space now according to Overthecap.com.
Maple Leafs get boost for the long term with latest roster news
The Toronto Maple Leafs perhaps did not expect to start the season like this, with a record of 6-5-1, but it's a result of the offensive adjustments the team has been forced to make. Head coach Craig Berube lost star Mitch Marner to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the summer, so he had to reorganize roles and defensive responsibilities, impacting players like winger William Nylander. Nylander, 29, who is entering his second year of an eight-season deal with a cap hit of $11.5M, said on Monday that he is ready to play again after suffering a lower-body injury. Nylander practiced in the right wing of the second line with prospect Easton Cowan and John Tavares, per TSN's Mark Masters. That is not only good news for the Maple Leafs' upcoming games, but also for the long term. Why William Nylander is so important in Craig Berube's system Since the departure of Marner, Nylander has absorbed more volume of creation, passes in the offensive zone, controlled zone entries and shooting threat from the half-walls. This is reflected in his numbers to date, as he boasts 15 points in nine games played. Berube has asked for more shot volume and quick decisions, which favors Nylander, who also generates a significant impact in five-on-five. His mix of controlled entries, patience in the low circles and reading of the weak side stretches rival defenses, which allows for creating routes for Tavares and Cowan. Furthermore, in the first power play unit, the threat of Nylander's one-timer forces the closure of pass lines towards the bumper and the backdoor, opening clean shots for Auston Matthews, another key player for Berube. The most probable scenario is that Nylander continues being a primary offensive engine and stabilizes the power play. If he maintains entry success and increases his shot rate, Toronto could compensate for the departure of Marner.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
