WBC No.1 contender Jose ‘Chon’ Zepeda will battle Mexican veteran Pedro Campa in a 10-round super-lightweight battle on May 22, which will serve as the chief support to the undisputed 140lbs world title bout between WBC/WBO king Jose Ramirez and IBF/WBA Super champion Josh Taylor. The location and venue are still to be confirmed.
Also on the card, hot prospect Elvis ‘The Dominican Kid’ Rodriguez will face Chicago native and one-time U.S. amateur standout Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims in a super-lightweight eight-round attraction.
“The current and future stars of the [140lbs] division will be on display May 22,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Jose Zepeda is one of the very best 140-pounders in the world, and he’ll have a chance to cement his status against a rugged Mexican in Pedro Campa. Elvis Rodriguez is a future world champion. Kenneth Sims Jr. is no pushover, but we believe this is the ideal next step as he continues his development.”
Californian Zepeda (33-2, 26 KOs) is coming off last October’s fifth-round knockout over former world champion Ivan Baranchyk, the 2020 ‘Fight of the Year’ that featured eight knockdowns, culminating in a highlight reel KO.
Campa (32-1-1, 21 KOs), from Guaymas, Mexico, is 5-0-1 since the lone defeat of his career and most recently toppled veteran Carlos Cardenas by majority decision.
“I’m ready to go,” said Zepeda. “After my ‘Fight of the Year’ with Baranchyk, I’m better than ever. It’s only a matter of time before I become a world champion.”
The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) has gone 5-0 inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas ‘Bubble’, including four stoppages in three rounds or less. He went the distance for the first time in his career in February, topping Argentine veteran Luis Alberto Veron by eight-round unanimous decision. Sims (15-2-1, 5 KOs), who lost to Jose Ramirez by one point at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, has sparred with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Jorge Linares in the paid ranks.
Rodriguez said: “I am happy and grateful for this opportunity and I am going to make the most of it. It is a great step for my career, and I want to continue to show the boxing world that I have the talent to achieve great things.”