Xander Zayas says he wants to fight WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. if he wins his title defense against Israil Madrimov on February 22nd.
#1 WBO-ranked contender Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) wants to fight Vergil Jr. this year or in 2026. He feels it would sell, focusing on the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico angle. It would be a huge step up in class for Xander, 22, as he hasn’t fought any world-class opposition yet during his six-year professional career.
A Future Champion?
Zayas hasn’t shown any punching power and has been hurt in a couple of his fights already against the second-tier opposition he’s been facing. He might be one of those fighters who must be protected his entire career to keep him from getting beaten repeatedly.
Xander is fighting little-known Slawa Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight on February 14th on the undercard of Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“He’s very one-dimensional, meaning he’s one style. He’s nonstop and a strong guy, but not very technical and not very good boxer. He’s a good fighter, but not so good at boxing and not the best boxing skills,” said Xander Zayas to Secondsout about former WBC interim junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk. “He’s very strong and a good pressure fighter.
“That’s a fight that we got a call for on the same day, February 22nd, in Saudi Arabia. We did accept the fight, but we also knew there were some other fighters, Madrimov, on the list,” said Xander about a fight against WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“For him, it was a business decision. It made more sense in his head, fighting a former world champion [Madrimov]. I’m not mad at the decision. I would have loved to have taken the fight and showcased by talent to the world. But I feel that if he [Vergil Ortiz] comes out victorious on February 22nd, we can make it happen. If not this year, next year for sure.
Top Rank would make a BIG mistake pairing the fragile-chinned Xander Zayas with a killer puncher like Vergil Ortiz Jr. Xander has already been hurt fighting lesser opposition, and he’s not shown the power or punch resistance to compete with a true talent like Ortiz Jr.
Top Rank is bringing along Zayas as they did with Edgar Berlanga, matching him against soft opposition to make him a money-maker for the New York area to sell tickets. Xander is NOT the next Miguel Cotto. You can put Zayas in with talented fighters like Vergil Jr., Madrimov, Serghii Bohachuk, or Bakhram Murataliev and expect him to win. He’d fall apart and get exposed, just like Berlanga did when Canelo Alvarez dominated him.
“High Risk, Low Reward”
“I think we’re both interested in that fight. I think we’ll both sell that fight very well for Puerto Rico and Mexico. I’m here in the United States. I feel like it’s high risk, low reward,” said Zayas about how Vergil Jr. would have had less to gain fighting him than Madrimov.
Xander has got it wrong. He would be low risk, low reward for Vergil Ortiz. It would be a mismatch with Vergil wiping the deck with him, and Top Rank would be miserable afterward. The wasted matchmaking they did to manufacture Xander.
If the idea is to make money in a cash-out one-off fight, Ortiz Jr. vs. Xander is worthwhile, but it won’t be competitive. There will be only one winner and that’s Vergil. Zayas will run around the ring, trying not to get knocked out, and won’t be interesting for fans that like to see action. It would be a Shakur-esque type of fight, because that’s how Zayas fights.
