Maxi Hughes Coming in Confident Against William Zepeda
The final barrier that British lightweight Maxi “Maximus” Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) must overcome to get a world title shot is his upcoming March 16 WBA and IBF world title eliminator against unbeaten Mexican William Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs). Hughes believes that with everything being fair, he will be too much for Zepeda once the bell rings.
ONE FINAL HURDLE
It’s not the first time down this road for Hughes when it comes to elimination contests. In July 2023, Hughes lost by majority decision to one-time unified champion George Kambosos in what was an IBF eliminator. It was a fight that many in the boxing community felt that Hughes won clearly.
In this instance, he faces a Zepeda who has been steamrolling the competition. But during an exclusive interview with Ring Magazine, Maximus is relishing the role of being a spoiler.
“We respect William Zepeda and we’ve shown him that respect in our preparation . . . I know what I’m capable of. I still keep bringing these big performances out, and what makes them better is nobody ever gives me a chance.
I just believe I’m bringing something he hasn’t seen before . . . I’m well prepared, mentally and physically, for what Zepeda’s going to bring.”
REFUSING TO GIVE UP
The road to this stage hasn’t been easy for Hughes. Following a decision loss to former world title challenger Liam Walsh in November 2019, Hughes fell into a mental funk and thought about hanging up the gloves. But after some introspection, the product of Yorkshire, England decided to continue fighting and has been on a roll.
Hughes versus Zepeda is a fight pitting the boxing skills of the British fighter against the pressure and power of Zepeda. Maximus must use his speed, elusiveness, and guile to confuse and frustrate his opponent. He was able to do that in his disputed loss to Kambosos. Can the 33-year-old summon a similar effort against the 27-year-old Zepeda? If he does, a world title fight awaits later this year.
