Xander Zayas claims that he was offered the fight against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr., and he accepted it for the February 22nd card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Is Zayas Ready?
Zayas is still inexperienced and has never fought a world-class fighter during his five-year career. Top Rank is trying to build the Puerto Rican Zayas into an East Coast star, just as they were trying to do with Edgar Berlanga. Putting Zayas in with Vergil Ortiz or any top-level fighter at 154 would be a bad idea. If this is just about money, Zayas getting a payday in a blowout loss, it makes sense.
Many fans believe Top Rank is intentionally manufacturing Xander Zayas into a fake star to make money from the East Coast fans in New York, who are desperately looking for someone to fill the void that Miguel Cotto left when he retired years ago.
#1 ranked WBO 154-lb contender Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) says he was offered the fight with Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) and given an hour to decide. Xander states that he said “Yes” after just one minute. It sounds admirable that he agreed to quickly to this offer to fight Ortiz, but it’s not a great idea.
If Top Rank really believes in Zayas, which is questionable, putting him in with Vergil Jr. this early in his career is a foolish idea. Again, he can’t punch and has looked fragile in his ability to take a punch, and his experience is nonexistent. Zayas has been fighting sub-level opposition up to this point and has still been entertaining.
Ortiz vs. Zayas: Mismatch
Neither Zayas’ promoters at Top Rank nor Vergil’s management at Golden Boy has confirmed the offer being made to the 22-year-old Puerto Rican fighter. But if he is Vergil’s option, this could be a Mismatch.
Top Rank’s skillful matchmakers have slowly brought along the Florida-based Xander, and he’s never fought anyone remotely resembling a top-tier, world-class fighter. Zayas has not looked good in many of his recent fights, showing no power and unwillingness to stand in the pocket.
It would be better for the fans if a high-level, experienced contender were chosen for Vergil to defend his WBC interim title against on February 22nd rather than the light-hitting novice Zayas.
Better Options For Vergil Jr
– Charles Conwell
– Erickson Lubin
– Errol Spence Jr
– Yoenis Tellez
– Israil Madrimov
– Jesus Ramos
