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Mike CoppingerESPN
Junior welterweight contender Jose Zepeda has been accused of punching a 40-year-old man at a boxing gym on Tuesday, Lt. Josh Hendricks of the Baldwin Park (California) Police Department told ESPN on Wednesday.
No charges have been filed, Hendricks said, who added there was no video surveillance footage and no independent witnesses of the alleged assault. Zepeda, 33, was issued a citation pending an investigation into the alleged battery, according to Lt. Evan Martin. The district attorney’s office will determine if charges are pursued; Zepeda will be notified via mail if the charges have been filed or declined.
Zepeda was given a tentative court date — police didn’t have the specific date — but if charges are declined, Zepeda will not have to appear.
Zepeda, who is preparing for a Nov. 26 fight in Carson, California, against Regis Prograis for the WBC’s vacant 140-pound title, said he was hitting the speed bag at the Baldwin Park Boxing Club when a man said that he was punched. Zepeda said the man, identified by police as Paul Cook, “just came close to me,” and there was no argument. He added that an ambulance was called to the scene. He said the man is frequently at the gym.
“I’m not losing focus one bit; I’m on my way to go train. When I learned this news, I was in cryotherapy. We have two more weeks and I’m ready, this is the fight of my life [against Prograis]. My brother [trainer Rene Zepeda] is already talking to a lawyer to see what we can do [about the false accusation]. I don’t think it’s fair.”
Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) is winless in two previous title challenges, but both defeats were far from convincing. A 2015 lightweight title fight against Terry Flanagan ended when he dislocated his left shoulder and retired on his stool following Round 2.
In 2019, Zepeda dropped a controversial majority decision to Jose Ramirez in a junior welterweight title fight.
Since the setback, Zepeda has impressed with a decision win over 140-pound contender Jose Pedraza, and most notably, a brutal KO of Ivan Baranchyk in ESPN’s 2020 Fight of the Year. The 33-year-old from Southern California scored a first-round TKO of Josue Vargas in October. Zepeda is ESPN’s No. 5 junior welterweight.