Some people love it, while others loathe the concept of fighters, fans in attendance, and everyone else watching around the world knowing exactly who is winning after the fourth and eighth rounds.

William Zepeda experienced open scoring during his unanimous-decision win against Lamont Roach Jr. for the vacant WBC lightweight title August 1 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Zepeda (34-1, 27 KOs) shared during a recent appearance on the WBC’s podcast that he’s a huge fan of open scoring and the impact it has on a fight, as it allows a fighter and his team to adjust strategy in real time.

“It’s useful not only for the boxer but also for the trainer, since they can see if the scoring is being done correctly, or what they’re judging,” Zepeda said. “Imagine you’re boxing backward, receiving your opponent’s punches and counterpunching, and you think, ‘Okay, he’s winning by a landslide.’ But many times, judges have a different perspective, where they think that by moving backward, the fighter is losing the fight.

“So that’s where the trainer could realize that judges are being biased and basing judgment on the fighter who’s winning while going forward, even if he’s taking punches, but still moving forward.”

The hard-charging Zepeda was awarded scores of 39-37, 39-37, 38-38 after four rounds and 78-74, 77-75, 77-75 after eight rounds during his fight against Roach. Judges David Sutherland (118-110), Tim Cheatham (117-111) and Eric Cheek (117-111) ultimately scored at least nine rounds apiece for Zepeda.

Zepeda, The Ring’s No. 3-ranked lightweight, came into his clash with Roach (25-2-3, 10 KOs) following the first loss of his career in July 2025, a decisive points defeat to Shakur Stevenson, in a 12-round fight for the same title he now holds.

Before the Stevenson fight, Zepeda had two hard-fought decision wins against Tevin Farmer and a four-fight stoppage streak against the likes of Giovanni Cabrera, Maxi Hughes and Mercito Gesta. Zepeda considers his loss to Stevenson a tremendous learning experience that allowed him to rise to the occasion against Roach as a slight betting underdog.

“Something that really stuck with me from the fight against Shakur was his timing,” Zepeda said. “He’d come in, throw punches, and then move away. But he’d create certain situations that he figured where he could land his punches. He’d mark me with a punch, knowing I was going to come in, and he’d close me down. Then he realized I was closing up, and he worked me inside and out, and my guard would open up. So, he was very smart about that.

“Something I learned from my last fight heading into my fight against Roach was that I needed a little more. You have to work intelligently at this level. Experience plays a big role in the ring. With that experience, that maturity, that wisdom, you can handle a fight without problems.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.