Zepeda used intelligent pressure to defeat Lamont Roach by unanimous decision and win the vacant WBC lightweight title Saturday in Las Vegas, his first major crown.

The 30-year-old Mexican has many options as a champion. The best, according to Bradley, is WBO belt holder Abdullah Mason. And a matchup between them is realistic considering they're both under Top Rank's promotional umbrella.

Who would win? Bradley paused before giving his pick. “I’m a go with Mason,” Bradley said on Inside The Ring. Bradley has always had respect for what Zepeda (34-1, 27 KOs) brings to the table. But his reverence went to another level after watching him beat Roach decisively. Still, Bradley would pick Mason (21-0, 18 KOs) in their hypothetical fight. The reason isn't complicated. “The punching power,” Bradley said. “When you give Mason the opportunity to punch in between, that kid can punch. And he doesn’t mind punching with you.” That power was on full display in Mason’s first title defense on July 4. The 22-year-old navigated some choppy waters in the first half of the fight against Albert Bell, who managed to make it into the 12th and final round. But that's as far as the challenger made it, as Mason dropped him twice before finally stopping him 45 seconds into the round to demonstrate his superiority. So why did Bradley hesitate when he was asked who would win Mason vs. Zepeda? The latter's experience.

Zepeda, like Mason a southpaw, lost badly to lefthander Shakur Stevenson in July of last year but gained valuable knowledge. And Zepeda defeated southpaws Tevin Farmer (twice) and Maxi Hughes.

Bradley believes he would be well prepared for Mason.

“What would concern me about this fight with Zepeda if they were to fight is the pressure, the volume, but even more, it’s a southpaw vs. southpaw,” Bradley said. “That’s gonna favor Zepeda if you look at the track record of Zepeda and all the southpaws that he has faced in his career, and he fought the best one yet.” Inside The Ring airs live every Monday on DAZN (2 p.m. ET/7 p.m. BST), providing interviews, analysis and breaking news with the sport's most captivating names. Portions of each episode will become available on The Ring’s YouTube channel after they stream live. Also follow on Instagram (@insideringshow), TikTok (@InsideRingShow), X (@InsideRingShow) and Facebook (Inside Ring Show).