Lamont Roach Eyes Raymond Muratalla Fight After William Zepeda

Roach says he wants a showdown with IBF champion Raymond Muratalla but must first beat William Zepeda on August 1

Lamont Roach is already looking beyond William Zepeda and toward a potential fight with IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla. The former world champion says he expects to beat Zepeda on August 1 and would welcome a title unification fight with Muratalla afterward.

“But now, after I beat Zepeda in dominant fashion, and we’re not overlooking him. Trust me, I’m training my ass off. Trust me, training my ass off. But if that were to line up, we would love to have that fight,” Roach said to InsideRingShow.

“I know that that fight will be probably for, you know, Ring Magazine or something like that. You know, it’s it’s it’s it’s a lot at stake, man. It’s a lot of stake at 135. And I just I just want to fulfill that for sure.”

Roach fought Gervonta Davis to a majority draw in March 2025 before moving up to light welterweight and battling Isaac Cruz to another draw. The 29-year-old now returns to lightweight seeking the vacant WBC title against Zepeda.

Muratalla is scheduled to defend his IBF lightweight title against Robson Conceicao on the same August 1 card. Victories for both champions would create another high-profile matchup in one of boxing’s deepest divisions.

Roach also revealed that Muratalla had previously emerged as a possible opponent before his eventual fight with Cruz.

“Even getting ready for Pit Bull, I think one of the options was Muratalla, and I think we reached out. I just don’t know what happened,” Roach said. “I’m not saying that, you know, people use the duck word too loosely. I just don’t know what happened.”