Graduation night arrived for Xander Zayas on the night his promoter bid farewell to its eight-year output deal with ESPN.
A disciplined performance from the unbeaten Puerto Rico-born Zayas resulted in a WBO 154lbs title-winning unanimous decision over Mexico’s Jorge Garcia. Judges Tony Paolillo (116-112), Tom Schreck (118-110) and Robin Taylor (119-109) all scored it wide for Zayas atop the final “Top Rank Boxing on ESPN” telecast Saturday evening from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“Man, it’s amazing to be here, to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level,” Zayas told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna after his title haul. “I want to give a big shout-out to my mom. She never gave up on me, she always supported me.”
At just 22, Zayas is now the youngest male titleholder in the sport. He supplanted Top Rank stablemate Brian Norman Jnr, the 24-year-old reigning WBO welterweight titlist, on that list.
Zayas took the traditional route to this point, while Garcia had to pull off a few upsets to earn his first title fight. A split decision win over then-unbeaten Charles Conwell in April put Garcia in position to vie for the vacant WBO 154lbs title, for which Zayas – a South Florida-based Puerto Rican – was the leading challenger.
The contention from Zayas regarding that fight was that Conwell lost due to his failure to adjust to what he described as a straightforward Garcia.
Zayas was determined to prove that on fight night – his eighth on MSG grounds and fourth in the Theater – and immediately went to the jab against his more experienced foe. Garcia, a 28-year-old contender from Los Mochis, was slow out of the gate and forced to ride out an early right hand. Zayas missed with a left hook upstairs and was later tagged by a Garcia right hand. He landed a right to the body, but Garcia stood his ground and traded jabs with the young gun.
Garcia mixed up his offense a bit in Round 2. Zayas continued with what worked, but Garcia was able to connect with a sweeping left hook behind a jab. Zayas landed a right hand but was forced to absorb another left hook by Garcia. The sequence was enough to prompt Garcia to go on the hunt, while Zayas played matador defense to run out the clock.
A two-way exchange saw Garcia land a right uppercut and Zayas respond with a left hook to spark a three-punch volley. Action at center ring saw Zayas continue to enjoy success with his left hook, as Garcia briefly clinched to slow his opponent’s momentum. Zayas landed a right and a left hook, then effortlessly slipped a looping counter left hook by Garcia.
The jab continued to dictate the pace and distance for Zayas throughout the third before he picked up his intensity in the fourth. Garcia realized he was getting outworked during most exchanges and attempted to create distance in hopes of finding counter opportunities. Zayas was too disciplined in his approach and always in position to step out of harm’s way on such occasions.
Garcia lowered his head and let his hands go in the fight. It didn’t at all change his success. Conversely, it only allowed Zayas to land his power shots with conviction. A left hook by Zayas found the mark. Garcia loaded up on his attempted counter, which Zayas ducked by dipping his knees, then sprung forward with a left hook to the chin.
Zayas continued to beat Garcia to the punch in the sixth. Left hooks downstairs and straight rights to the chin all found the mark before Garcia could even think about his next punch to throw. Both fighters landed hooks with 45 seconds to go in the round. Zayas responded with a booming right, which sent Garcia to the ropes.
A jab exchange was followed by a left hook from Zayas to start the seventh. Garcia remained determined to turn the tide but was never permitted the chance to let his hands go. Zayas landed a counter left hook-straight right combination to draw cheers from the partisan crowd. Garcia attempted a left hook to the body against an escaping Zayas as the round drew to a close.
Zayas opened the eighth with a left hook that found its mark. Garcia was methodical in his come-forward approach and was picked apart by Zayas’ jab upstairs and to his chest. A left hook by Zayas was followed by a right hand upstairs, which prompted Garcia to clinch. Garcia landed a right hand in the final minute and then later scored with a left hook along the ropes.
The strong finish wasn’t enough for Garcia to carry that momentum into the ninth. Zayas quickly resumed control through his more polished approach. Garcia was wide and off the mark with his left hook but later snapped back Zayas’ head as the Puerto Rican walked into an uppercut.
Zayas offered constant movement throughout the 10th. His superior conditioning allowed him to use as much of the ring as he desired, while Garcia was slower to the draw. Zayas stepped back whenever Garcia lunged with his power shots, and connected with a left hook before the bell.
The bell sounded to begin the first 11th round of Zayas’ career. Garcia did his best to make things uncomfortable, letting his hands go as Zayas sought to hold. Zayas landed a left hook that snapped back Garcia’s head at center ring midway through the round. Garcia stood straight up as he walked into a body shot before later getting caught with a three-punch combination.
Zayas offered constant lateral movement during the first half of the final round. Garcia recklessly threw wide, looping shots – though one left hook managed to catch a mobile Zayas. The crowd rose to its feet at the 10-second mark as Zayas circled the ring until the bell, before he mounted the ropes in the corner to salute his fans.
The dominance of Zayas, 22-0 (13 KOs), was reflected on the scorecards and through final punch statistics. CompuBox credited Zayas with landing 199 of 522 total punches (38.1 percent), compared to 130 of 603 (21.6 percent) for Garcia, 33-5 (26 KOs), whose eight-fight win streak was snapped by the lopsided defeat.
Meanwhile, Zayas continues to see his stock soar. The title win came a little more than six years after he signed with Top Rank, at just 16 years of age.
On Saturday night, the transformation was complete, from that young boy to a man.
“Boxing 101,” Zayas said of his performance. “I knew I had to box my way to victory.”
The belt acquired by Zayas became available when Sebastian Fundora, 23-1-1 (15 KOs), opted to move forward with a rematch against Tim Tszyu in lieu of the WBO-ordered mandatory title fight.
Fundora took care of business one week ago in Las Vegas, where he dropped Tszyu in the opening round before earning a stoppage after seven rounds. Zayas was tuned in for the night, still eager to make that fight happen.
“Sebastian Fundora just fought last week,” noted Zayas. “I heard he’s looking for an opponent [for his next fight]. I’m waiting and I’m ready to go in December.”
