“That would be a career-defining fight for me at this point,” Mason said on The Porterway Podcast. “He has everything that somebody would wanna see me face. He’s strong on the front foot, a volume puncher, he’s using his head. It would definitely be a step up from any fight that I ever had before.”
Mason is correct about the step up. Zepeda presents an extreme version of the style that caused him trouble against Sam Noakes last November.
Noakes out-slugged Mason during stretches of their fight and applied constant pressure, forcing the younger fighter to get on his bike and box from the outside during the championship rounds. Mason won the decision to take the vacant WBO title, but it was a grueling night.
His first defense against Albert Bell on July 4 brought another difficult test. Bell fought Mason to a standstill through six rounds before Mason began roughing him up inside to gain control. Mason eventually dropped and stopped Bell in the 12th.
Zepeda would bring considerably more pressure than either opponent.
The 30-year-old threw 884 punches against Roach, landing 218. He has the chin to stay in front of opponents, throws combinations almost continuously, and gives them little time to set their feet.
That could be particularly uncomfortable for Mason, who likes loading up on uppercuts and other power shots. His punch resistance has also shown vulnerability. Yohan Vasquez dropped Mason twice in their 2024 fight before Mason recovered to score a second-round knockout.
Zepeda isn’t likely to disappear after landing one big shot, either. He’ll keep coming, forcing Mason to fight at a pace and under sustained pressure that he hasn’t dealt with as a professional.
“The Sam Noakes fight was a crazy fight, an amazing fight,” Mason said. “I’ve grown from all my past fights, so me being able to implement everything that I’ve learned, it will show where I’m at in the sport facing Zepeda, who’s coming off a great win.”
Mason clearly wants to find out where he is. Top Rank must decide if it wants the answer this soon.
