William Zepeda’s 884 Punches Expose Key Difference Between Roach And Shakur

Instead of applying nonstop pressure, Zepeda picked his moments more carefully. He stepped inside with quick combinations, then moved back out before attacking again. That contrasted sharply with the Stevenson fight, where he stayed in close, cut off the ring and kept throwing, particularly to the body.

Tim Bradley believes Roach’s punching played a role in that adjustment.

“In those early rounds, Roach made him cautious a bit. He had to respect the power,” Bradley said on TNT Sports. “He had a game plan. He was looking for the jab, but he was looking for that straight left hand right down the middle. He was landing it over and over and over.”

Bradley also pointed to Zepeda’s body attack as the turning point.

“When he goes down to the body, watch how Roach puts those hands in the pockets. That’s exactly what he did. He broke him down, man. I thought he was going to finish him, but Roach is tough,” Bradley said.

The statistics back up the tactical adjustment. Zepeda threw 95 fewer punches and landed 54 fewer than he did against Stevenson, yet he still controlled the fight with steady pressure. Rather than relying on one approach, he showed he can make changes when an opponent presents a different kind of threat.