Lightweight boxer William Cepeda's coach, Jay “Panda” Najjar, knows his boxer is close to a world title fight, but believes Cepeda's motivation for facing Giovanni Cabrera is rooted not just in becoming a titleholder, but in becoming a Mexican legend.
The fight between the two world title contenders is scheduled for July 6 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be presented by Golden Boy Promotions and broadcast on DAZN.
Cepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) comes into the bout on the back of a three-fight knockout streak since defeating Maxi Hughes by knockout in March. The 27-year-old Mexican will face Cabrera (22-1, 7 KOs), an inevitable and tricky fighter who hopes to earn opportunities against major champions such as WBA champion Gervonta Davis, WBC champion Shakur Stevenson, WBO boss Dennis Belincik and IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. The 29-year-old Cabrera is unbeaten except for a narrow decision loss to Isaac Cruz last July.
When asked by press conference host Beto Duran why Cepeda would take the risk of fighting Cabrera, Najar responded: “William wants to be a legend. He wants to be an Erik Morales, a Juan Manuel Marquez, a Salvador Sanchez. To do that, he needs to fight these types of fighters.”
“It's hard to prepare for a style like Giovanni's. Anyone who knows boxing knows it's a difficult style. We've never fought a guy like Giovanni, but he's never fought a guy like William Cepeda.”
Najjar also acknowledged the challenges of the bout, while praising Cabrera's coach, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. He noted that neither boxer would be able to perfectly simulate their opponent before the bout, and stressed that Cabrera would thrive in the underdog role.
“We're going up against one of the best trainers in the world, which makes my job harder but also makes me perform better,” Najjar said. “Elvis Rodriguez [who trains with Freddie Roach]But you'll never see a fighter throw 1,500-plus punches per fight, and you'll never see a fighter keep his opponent off balance like Giovanni Cabrera.”
“[Cabrera] “Every time he's been picked as a B-side fighter, he's proven a lot of people wrong. To take down a young up-and-comer, an undefeated fighter, and a fighter like 'Pit Bull' Cruz in 12 rounds shows he's the real deal.”
