That decision was difficult to defend. Interim championships are supposed to protect a contender’s position when the full champion is unavailable. Herrera did exactly what the WBC asked, stopping Ricardo Núñez in the eighth round, only to watch Zepeda and Roach compete for the higher belt.
A March divisional update stated that the Zepeda-Roach winner must meet Herrera. Unless that instruction has changed, the WBC should now order the consolidation fight instead of approving a voluntary defense.
Herrera presents a far greater physical threat than Roach did. The 23-year-old southpaw is 5-foot-11 and has stopped 16 of his 18 opponents. Núñez dropped him early in their fight, but Herrera recovered and gradually broke down a much more experienced puncher.
Zepeda said after beating Roach that he wants to become undisputed rather than naming an opponent. That ambition gives his team a reason to pursue another champion instead of Herrera or Cruz, but it does not erase the WBC’s previous instruction. The organization already made Herrera wait while Zepeda fought for the vacant belt. Allowing a unification before the consolidation bout would extend that delay and reduce the interim championship to little more than a bargaining tool.
Andy Cruz has now complicated the division by publicly targeting Zepeda.
“William Zepeda, I’m coming for you,” Cruz told reporters.
The WBC placed Cruz at No. 1 after his third-round stoppage of Abraham Montoya in July. His Olympic background and close loss to IBF champion Raymond Muratalla give him greater name recognition than Herrera, making Cruz the easier fight to sell.
That does not give him a stronger claim. Cruz was granted an IBF title opportunity in only his seventh professional bout and lost. Herrera won the WBC interim championship, then waited while Zepeda received another title fight immediately after losing to Shakur Stevenson.
Zepeda-Cruz would test the champion against an accurate counterpuncher capable of controlling him from long range. It is one of the best fights available at lightweight, but Herrera should not be discarded to make it happen.
If Zepeda wants Cruz next, Herrera must agree to step aside. Otherwise, the WBC needs to honor its own order and give its interim champion the position his belt was supposed to guarantee.
