The explosive southpaw from Cleveland, Ohio, registered the first defense of his WBO lightweight title July 4 by stopping Albert Bell in the 12th round at Wolstein Center in his hometown.

That victory, along with several highlight-worthy knockout finishes, has caught Zepeda’s attention. After recently winning the vacant WBC crown against Lamont Roach, The Ring’s No. 3-ranked 135-pound contender would love to unify titles against his fellow champion.

“Abdullah is a great young fighter,” Zepeda said during a recent episode of “The PorterWay Podcast,” hosted by former welterweight champ Shawn Porter. “He has a lot of skills. He has a lot of weapons in his bag. He’s maturing, he’s getting stronger, he’s getting better. It would be a great fight to have. Unifying the belts would be a great goal of mine to accomplish.”

Mason, ranked No. 4 by The Ring, also complimented Zepeda, calling theirs a “career-defining fight” in previous interviews.

Mason (21-0, 18 KOs) believes that his win over Bell, along with a gutsy points victory over Sam Noakes in November 2025 that began his title reign, proves that he has the skills and versatility to beat Zepeda (34-1, 27 KOs). Zepeda showed in his victory over Roach (25-2-3, 10 KOs) on August 1 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, though, that he is more than an aggressive volume puncher.

The relentless southpaw from San Mateo, Mexico, who bounced back from a decisive defeat to Shakur Stevenson in July 2025, also has a feeling that Mason wouldn’t make it to the final bell.

“With my style of fighting, going in, getting out, maintaining pressure, maintaining distance, and my body punches, it would be a hard-fought battle,” Zepeda said. “I believe I have enough weapons in my arsenal to tire him out. I don’t think he would be able to last all 12 rounds with me.”