William Zepeda was forced to pull out of his clash with WBC world lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson after suffering an arm injury.
According to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the pair were set to lock horns on a stacked Riyadh Season card that is in the works for February 22.
However, Zepeda has now ruled himself out of the planned matchup after edging a highly contentious split decision against former world champion Tevin Farmer.
In what was supposed to be a keep busy fight, the 28-year-old instead found himself overcoming a fourth-round knockdown before outworking his seasoned opponent down the stretch.
- Read More [Shakur Stevenson highlights William Zepeda’s greatest strength ahead of their potential showdown]
William Zepeda sustains arm injury following his victory over Tevin Farmer
Zepeda is the number one-ranked fighter with all four sanctioning bodies at 135 lbs, boasting an impressive 84 percent knockout ratio through 32 victories.
That said, the unbeaten contender was compelled to reach deep into his tool box against Farmer when they collided earlier this month.
Zepeda, nevertheless, maintained his remarkable work rate through 10 rounds, throwing a total of 1087 punches to swing the result in his favor.
But then, Farmer revealed that no drug testing had taken place before or after their contest, representing a major concern over the integrity of Zepeda’s victory.
What is more, the newly-crowned WBC interim champion has now confirmed that he sustained an arm injury, ruling himself out of his upcoming title shot against Stevenson.
Stevenson, meanwhile, was expecting to return early next year after suffering a hand injury himself, but must now consider alternative options.
Chris Algieri questions Oscar De La Hoya’s matchmaking
In the immediate aftermath of his victory, many questioned the necessity of Zepeda’s damaging fight with Farmer when he was already next in line to face Stevenson.
The 28-year-old’s career has, of course, been navigated by Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya, whose matchmaking skills have now been put under the microscope.
Former world champion Chris Algieri, for instance, believes that De La Hoya made a huge mistake by putting the Mexican up against Farmer.
Further still, Algieri has also questioned whether it was Golden Boy’s plan to swerve the Stevenson fight following Zepeda’s underwhelming performance, regardless of his injury.
“It could just be the brain trust of team Zepeda,” Algieri said on ProBox TV. “Looking at the performance [against Farmer], and the momentum going into next year – to jump right into a Shakur Stevenson fight doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
“You’re making fights down the line but you’ve got tough fights in between. That’s not how boxing works, this is not the WWE. You cannot script a career, you cannot script how these fights are going to happen.
“[Farmer was] a very poorly-managed fight to take before a Shakur Stevenson fight.”