Why undefeated William Zepeda almost left boxing

In the lightweight division, William Zepeda might be the heaviest-handed boxer, but he almost gave the sport up. Luckily, he didn’t and is on the rise. 

William Zepeda is a young lightweight boxer with immense potential and is on the cusp of hitting it big, but one troubled time in his life almost made him leave the sport.

Zepeda (25-0, 23 KOs) is 25 years old and has an impressive 92 percent knockout rating. The Golden Boy Promotions fighter takes on former super featherweight champion Rene Alvarado on May 14 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA.

Zepeda is rated as the 26th best lightweight in the world by Boxrec.com, but he’s hoping that a win over Alvarado will provide a leap into the upper echelon of the division. He has come a long way since his start in the sport.

Zepeda is a small-town kid at heart. San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, which translates to “in the water’s edge,” is actually a fairly populated town in south-central Mexico.

It felt diminutive to Zepeda growing up, who described his neighborhood as a small pueblo.

“My childhood there was the best period of my life,” Zepeda told FanSided through an interpreter. “My family, parents are shoemakers by trade. And they made, you know, shoes. That’s what they dedicated their lives to.”

Zepeda’s family are boxing fans. According to Zepeda, they cheered for several Mexico City fighters who they were friends with.

He took up the sport as a teen to better his physical fitness.

Watch William Zepeda vs. Rene Alvarado on the undercard of Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez vs. Dominic Boesel on Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN

“I started at 13 years old,” Zepeda said. “Boxing has kind of been part of like in my family in the past. At first, I pursued it to stay active, stay healthy, and lose some weight.”

As time went on, he developed into a competitive boxer who hoped to make the Mexican Olympic team. Unfortunately, Zepeda was never selected for the team.

With his Olympic goals dashed, Zepeda considered quitting boxing.

“I had a really bad experience being part of the selection for the Olympics in Mexico to represent Mexico,” Zepeda said. “I really considered just leaving and pursuing my education.”

Zepeda enjoyed school and was a successful student. His distaste for boxing’s politics made him question his future, but a friend’s voice made all the difference.

“I had a good friend who really just encouraged me to debut as a professional, and he was able to help me find the right support to continue a professional career,” Zepeda said. “But without that support and encouragement from my friend, I think I probably would have retired.”

It’s crazy to believe how the words of a friend shaped Zepeda’s future. Instead of knocking people out, he might have been mending wounds or designing buildings.

“I was very attracted to the professions of becoming a pediatrician or becoming an architect,” Zepeda said. “That was really what I was leaning towards if I wouldn’t have become a professional boxer.”

Zepeda’s past aspirations show you that he’s got a good head on his shoulders. His boyish looks, swept-back hair, and soft-spoken voice would have made for a good bedside manner.

While talking to Zepeda, it’s hard to imagine him as a boxer except for the Golden Boy shirt he was wearing when we spoke.

When you see him in the ring, you understand that he made the right decision. He’s a staking southpaw who’s a volume puncher that knows how to break down an opponent.

Zepeda is riding a 15-fight KO streak. Despite Zepeda’s KO prowess, he says it is not a God-given gift.

“It’s something that I’ve been working on since I started boxing,” Zepeda said. “I have trainers that have done a really great job with me both in terms of power but also, you know, preparing me to become a technical type of fighter, and it’s a matter of training, working really hard, and repeating.”

His work is paying off. Zepeda’s energy and heart come out when he fights. He has a fan-friendly style that makes fans wherever he goes and could make him a lightweight favorite in the future.