#1 WBO-ranked Xander Zayas says he’s ready to be crowned a world champion at junior middleweight in his next fight. The Top Rank-promoted Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) is the mandatory for WBO champion Sebastian Fundora, and will likely be elevated if he chooses not to defend against him.
It’s not the ideal way for Zayas to capture a world title, getting it through the email, but it might be the only way. Holding the WBO 154-lb belt will make Xander a lot of money, because he’s got a huge fanbase in his native Puerto Rico and in New York. Like Edgar Berlanga, Zayas can transmute that following into millions without beating anyone special.
Xander is coming off a ninth round TKO win over Slawa Spomer on February 14th in Las Vegas. Like the other 20 names on Zayas’ resume, the Germany-based Spomer was a complete unknown with zero power. It was like a cakewalk for Zayas, who made it look easy outboxing and outslugging the light-hitting fighter.
“You already know what’s next. #And the new,” said Xander Zayas on X, saying he expects to become a world champion at 154 in his next fight.
Superstar Plan
Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, believes Xander will be the next superstar in his stable of fighters. However, he doesn’t say what type of star he’ll be. There are true stars, like Canelo Alvarez, and the pseudo, simulated ones. Even if Xander does turn out to be as fake as a three-dollar bill, he can still make millions if he gets his paws on the WBO belt. It doesn’t matter how he gets it.
If Xander gets elevated to WBO champion, he can make easy defenses against Josh Kelly, Ardreal Holmes, and Milan Prat to milk his belt before he’s forced to fight someone out of his league talent-wise. By then, Zayas will have his fortune and it won’t matter if he loses.
Fundora hasn’t said a word about wanting to defend against Zayas, 22. That’s not a fight that would pay the lanky 6’5″ Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) the kind of money that he’s seeking for what would be his second defense of his WBC and WBO 154-lb titles that he captured from Tim Tszyu last year on March 30th.
Fundora makes an optional defense of those belts against fringe contender Chordale Booker. Assuming he wins that fight, Sebastian says he wants Terence Crawford or Errol Spence Jr.
.@XanderZayas wants his shot next 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/f3C85ba7FV
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 1, 2025
Last Updated on 03/01/2025
