Not knowing the judges’ scorecards until they’re announced after fights affects that notion. There have been countless occasions when most people believe a fight should be scored for one fighter, only for the decision to go the other way.

Such suspense will be minimized Saturday when Lamont Roach Jr. faces William Zepeda for the vacant WBC lightweight title at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on DAZN and TNT (8 p.m. ET; 1 a.m. BST). With their 12-round bout being a WBC title fight, there will be open scoring, meaning the judges’ scores will be announced after the fourth and eighth rounds.

Whether open scoring is good or bad for boxing has sparked much debate.

Former six-division titleholder Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and Zepeda’s promoter, sees both sides of the argument, but ultimately favors open scoring. One example De La Hoya referred to was his infamous, narrow majority-decision defeat to Felix Trinidad in September 1999.

Had the International Boxing Hall-of-Famer known the fight was closer than he believed heading into the final three rounds, De La Hoya said his approach would have been much different.

“Fans don’t like it, right?” De La Hoya said during the Roach-Zepeda press conference Thursday. "They say, ‘Oh my gosh, we don’t want to know. We want the excitement of the fight at the end to see who won or who lost?’ If fans are getting the scorecards after three rounds or five rounds, I’m not sure exactly what it is, then the fans kind of get discouraged, right? But as a fighter, for instance, if I’m in my corner and I know I’m down 3-0, I’m gonna press the gas and give you guys an exciting fight.

“Perfect example. When I fought Felix Trinidad, I thought I was up 7-2, and little did I know that I was down on all scorecards. So, if I would have known back then that I was down, I would have pressed the gas, knock him out, and win the fight. It’s a double-edged sword, but I think I have to be for it.”

Though it is rarely utilized, the WBC introduced open scoring in November 2006, citing transparency, accountability and the impact it can have on a fight.

One of the more prominent instances of open scoring came in Canelo Alvarez’s unanimous-decision victory over Austin Trout in their 154-pound unification bout in April 2013. While most viewed it as a close and competitive fight, the judges’ scorecards painted a different picture after eight rounds. At the start of the 10th round, Al Bernstein announced on the Showtime broadcast that Alvarez led 80-71, 78-73 and 76-75.

Showtime’s unofficial scores were more in line with Alvarez being up by just one point.

The most recent WBC title fight that featured open scoring was Bruce Carrington’s unanimous-decision victory over Rene Palacios to retain his featherweight belt on July 4 in Cleveland. DAZN and TNT broadcasters debating the merits of open scoring made for the most contentious part of the fight.

Former two-division champion Timothy Bradley, also an International Boxing Hall-of-Famer, favors open scoring because fighters know where they stand. He noted the impact knowing ESPN’s unofficial scorecards had during Terence Crawford’s 10th-round stoppage of Shawn Porter in November 2021.

While the fight didn’t have open scoring, Crawford was told by his corner that he was down on ESPN’s unofficial scorecard. The five-division titleholder and three-time undisputed champion responded by dropping Porter twice in the 10th round before his corner stopped the fight. The three judges had it 86-85 twice and 87-84 for Crawford at the time of the stoppage.

Through seven rounds, ESPN had Porter up 67-66. Bradley was one of the commentators who worked that ESPN broadcast.

“If Terence didn’t know that he was down, which he wasn’t, but we felt that he was down,” Bradley said. “If he didn’t know, he would have never stepped on the gas, but the fact that he knew he was down, he stepped on the gas. Right? You get it.”

DAZN commentator and reporter Chris Mannix toed the middle line given the impact open scoring can have on a fight if one fighter knows he is ahead by a significant margin and how it could take away from a fan’s viewing experience.

“That’s one scenario that could be a positive for these things,” Mannix said in response to Bradley. “My concern is if a guy's up 7-1 going into the ninth round, he just takes his foot off the gas and cruises to a victory, as opposed to maybe he wonders if it’s in doubt, and then maybe he has to fight a little bit more.

“I can see why the fighters like it. I just think, from a television perspective, watching it at home, I do want the uncertainty [and] the little bit of unknown drama going into these final rounds.”

Former WBC 154-pound champion and DAZN commentator Sergio Mora strongly opposes open scoring, noting how it alters the fans’ perspective of a fight. When announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced at the start of the ninth round that Carrington led 79-73 on all three scorecards, it drew a chorus of boos, though the tenor of the fight didn’t help matters.

“You heard what the crowd thought about that open scoring – everyone booing,” Mora said. “It sucks the excitement and the drama out of the room. I think it’s something that needs to be worked on.”

One imagines Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) would appreciate open scoring after his last two fights ended in majority draws. Many believed the former WBA 130-pound champion did enough to earn decision victories over Gervonta Davis in March 2025 and Isaac Cruz on December 6.

Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) versus Roach, 30, pits a stark contrast in styles. Zepeda, 30, of San Mateo Atenco, México, typically fights at a relentless pace and routinely throws around 100 punches per round. Roach, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, leans much more on his ability to counter and make his punches count.

In a bout featuring two fighters with vastly different approaches, a compelling argument can likely be made for either fighter in close rounds based on what you prefer. Knowing the judges’ scorecards could prove useful given how the fight could play out.

At the same time, the suspense of not knowing the judges’ scorecards adds to the drama and experience of watching a fight. And if the announced scores are wider than what the fans, fighters and their corners believe in a fight that’s been back-and-forth through eight rounds, it can take away from what was setting up to be a thrilling finish.