On Tuesday in Baldwin Park (California, USA) an incident occurred in a boxing gym involving top American super lightweight Jose Cepeda (35-2, 27 KOs). A 40-year-old Paul Cook claims that the fighter hit him in the stomach.
The police arrived at the scene. They do not have any evidence of the crime (video or eyewitness testimony). For this reason, Cepeda was not arrested. It is possible that he will not even have to appear in the courtroom – it is possible that the prosecutor’s office will dismiss the charge.
According to Zepeda, there was no conflict at all. The boxer claims that he was working on a pneumatic bag when a man who came close began to claim that he was hit in the stomach. Jose claims that he had seen him in this hall more than once before.
November 26 in Carson (California, USA) Cepeda fight for the vacant WBC title with compatriot and former world champion Regis Prograis. According to the boxer, “this incident will not be reflected in any way on my focus. I continue to prepare, because I have the fight of my life ahead of me. My brother (aka coach René Zepeda) has already contacted a lawyer. Let’s see what we can do about this false accusation. All of this is dishonest.”
The upcoming fight is the third title attempt for Cepeda. In 2015, he lost to Briton Terry Flanagan due to injury. And in 2019, he lost to compatriot Jose Ramirez on a thin and no doubt.
Earlier, the WBC ruled that the winner of the Cepeda vs. Prograis fight must face Ramirez in the first (of two) mandatory defense.
The fight for the vacant title topped our ranking of the biggest November 2022 boxing fights: Bivol vs Ramirez, Cepeda vs Prograis and the unification we dreamed of.
