Interviews
One to watch: Xander Zayas
Over the last forty years, Puerto Rico has produced some of the most naturally talented fighters you will ever see in the ring.
Wilfredo Benitez, Felix “Tito” Trinidad, Hector Camacho and Miguel Cotto all proudly represented their country, finishing their decorated careers as world champions in multiple weight classes, with three of the four named being inducted into the coveted International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The trio took over from those who preceded them, most notably Wilfredo Gomez, another Hall of Famer and former three-division world champion.
After their unprecedented success, those who emulate it face the challenge of matching their achievements, and a fresh crop of talent from Puerto Rico aims to do just that.
Last year, Edgar Berlanga became one of the brightest stars of the next generation. The 23-year-old Up-to-date Yorker of Puerto Rican descent went 16-0 (16 KOs) with all of his wins coming in the first round, earning him the prospect of the year from Sports Illustrated and many other outlets.
Welterweight prospect Xander Zayas is on the rise and looks to take the mantle from Berlanga as he earns the title of 2021 Prospect of the Year.
The 18-year-old became the youngest signing in Top Rank’s illustrious history when he signed a promotional deal with Bob Arum’s company in 2019 after being introduced to the Hall of Fame promoter by his manager Peter Kahn.
Zayas (6-0, 5 KO) began boxing at just five years aged, encouraged by his mother to take up the sport after experiencing bullying.
At the age of 11, Xander moved to the United States. During his amateur career, Xander competed in over 100 fights, winning 11 national titles, and almost immediately felt surrounded by greatness, with his first fight being supervised by a certain Puerto Rican legend.
“Tito Trinidad, I met him when I was six or seven, it was my first fight and he was there,” Zayas said proboxing-fans.com.
“It was a great pleasure, incredible. The person who inspires me in boxing, the person I looked up to [to] Miguel Cotto appeared in the ring.
“He’s someone who was a champion of my generation in Puerto Rico, everyone watched him go and he stopped the game in Puerto Rico. He’s a player I admire and he inspires me to work difficult and want to be like him.
Zayas, who will return Saturday night on the undercard of an all-Mexico fight between WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez in Las Vegas, has already drawn comparisons to former six-weight world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
The undefeated contender admits he is aware of the connections and is flattered by them, but is keen to maintain his status as he looks to cement his position in the coming years with his versatile style.
“I’ve heard those comparisons,” Zayas added.
“Maybe it’s because I’m youthful and always smiling. It’s an honor to be compared to legends like Oscar De La Hoya, but ultimately the most vital thing is to stay focused, dedicated and continue to work difficult.
“I am an aggressive fighter who likes to come forward, with good footwork, good head movement and a good combination of difficult shots to the body and head.
“Someone who can make that kind of change in any round [to] be able to win the fight and just generally be someone who can throw punches, can slide and counter, and just generally be an aggressive fighter.”
Zayas, who has been sparring with the returning Adrien Broner in preparation for his seventh fight, will face James Martin (6-1) at the MGM Grand Conference Center as part of Top Rank’s Bubble, and the Florida native expects the Philadelphia fighter to pass the toughest test of his career.
If he can defeat the 23-year-old, Zayas hopes to fight five more times this year as he looks to accelerate his career.
“On paper, this is the toughest competition for me,” he added.
“On Saturday evening I expect a lot of fireworks from body to head, a lot of movement, good defense, edged play, agility and strength.
“I’ve been working really, really difficult all camp and I can’t wait to showcase my talent this Saturday night, so don’t miss it on ESPN+ in the States and BoxNation in London. Don’t miss it because I’m going to put on a show.
“Saturday night I’m going to show that we’re ready and this is my year. I’m ready to take over this year.
“The goal for this year is to fight at least six times this year. I want to end the year fighting eight rounds. I also want to escalate my competitiveness every time I step into the ring and finally, most importantly, win the prospect of 2021.
Zayas is close friends with lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez, whom he describes as his “substantial brother.”
Lopez dethroned Vasiliy Lomachenko in October, adding the WBA “Super,” WBO, and WBC Franchise belts to his IBF crown in just his 16th fight, and Zayas says that like the Brooklyn native, he’ll be ready to seize the opportunity on the biggest stage when the opportunity presents itself.
Asked if he draws inspiration from Lopez’s accelerated progress, Zayas replied: “100%. This generation is here to stay, he said.
“Again, I want to take it one step at a time. When the right opportunity comes, I know my team and I will make the decision and be ready to step into the ring with whoever they put in front of us.
“I want to fight my best, when the time comes I will give it my all and do whatever I have to to get the win.”
Zayas is in the early stages of what many expect to be a long and successful career. At just 18, he has plenty of time to develop his game, and Saturday night could bring him one step closer to carving out his own legacy as the next great Puerto Rican.
Watch the full interview with Xander Zayas below:
Natasha Jonas unified the welterweight division by defeating Ivana Habazin by clear points on Saturday to add the WBC title to her IBF crown at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool.
Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO) was last seen defending her title in January in a hard-fought split decision over Mikaela Mayer, while Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) won the vacant WBC welterweight title in her home country. time out, winning by wide points over Kinga Magyar.
After a technical opening round, Jonas settled into a steady rhythm before landing a powerful right hand in the fourth round that crushed Habazin.
There was a rivalry, but the home favorite was much better in the rallies and seemed to be losing round after round.
This situation lasted until the final bell, when Jonas became the winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92.
Price is closing in on Jonas’ match
Lauren Price definitely stayed on as a collision course with Jonas and easily defended her WBA and IBO welterweight titles after a third-round fight against Bexcy Mateus.
Mateus (7-1, 6 KO) was on board in the first round, after the Welshman landed a powerful left hand, and the Colombian struggled to match Price’s speed.
The same shot caused the 29-year-old to repeat the punch in the second round, and the round later ended when another stinging left hand stunned Meteus and she fell to the canvas, after which the fight was stopped.
Price (8-0, 2 KO) has agreed to face Jonas next, and promoter Ben Shalom revealed it could be announced next week.
Knife edge passes McKenna
Lee Cutler scored an upset victory to claim the silver WBC International welterweight title after winning a majority decision against Stephen McKenna.
McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) was eliminated in the first round, his knee touching the canvas after being tagged, and Cutler (15-1, 7 KO) took full advantage of his opponent’s weakness in the seventh round when his right hand plunged into his knee. The Irishman who ultimately fell once again.
McKenna was relentless in his attacks and landed a huge number of punches.
The balance of 94-94 was surpassed by the scores of 95-93 and 96-92, which ensured the victory for Cutler.
Jeffers stopped Quartey
Mark Jeffers is on track for large fights in 2025 after defeating Joshua Quartey to defend his silver Commonwealth super middleweight title.
A pair of right hands put Quartey (10-1, 9 KO) on the board, and although he broke the count, a well-placed body shot after the restart by Jeffers (19-0, 6 KO) blew the guy away again.
A crazy attack after the restart forced a stoppage.
Riley secures Chamberlain’s face-off with a stoppage
Viddal Riley finished the heavyweight fight and stopped Dan Garber in the second of the scheduled six rounds.
Riley (12-0, 7 KO) hit Garber (7-4, 2 KO) with his right hand, and then his next attack forced the referee’s intervention.
Riley’s next match will be against Isaac Chamberlain on February 1.
Undercard remaining
Mason Cartwright (21-4-1, 8 KO) won all six rounds at super welterweight against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-25, 7 KO), and Hope lightweight Frankie Stringer (9-0, 1 KO) did the same in the fight against Tatenda Mangombe (3-9-1).
In the flyweight division, Mikie Tallon (6-0) defeated Benn Norman (7-7) with a body shot in the first round of the match, and then settled for a 59-54 victory.
The only fighter to fight four rounds in the super featherweight division was Mason Devine (6-0, 1 KO), who won every session against Jayo Fernando Duran (15-34-1, 14 KO).
Dillian Whyte has revealed his predictions for the hotly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Fury, who knocked out Whyte at Wembley Stadium in 2022, will seek revenge for the only defeat of his career in just 11 days, after losing to Usyk by split decision earlier this year.
Despite losing the night, “The Gypsy King” was a major success and many are struggling to pick a winner in his second battle against the imperious Ukrainian.
Some experts believe Fury needs to be more aggressive and take the lead if he is to win.
I’m talking to Social boxingWhyte revealed he shared that view, asking the Morecambe man to return to the game plan that saw him destroy Deontay Wilder in the return leg.
“It’s a great fight, man, I’m still trying to think – how will this fight go?
“Okay, Fury can make changes, but Usyk can make changes too. It’s a tough fight, a very, very tough fight for both fighters.
“If I were Fury’s coach, I would tell him he has to play aggressively.
“Fight him like you fought Wilder the second time.
“Bring back the aggression, bring back the tyrant!
“This is heavyweight boxing – you never know.”
It is unclear whether Fury will heed the advice of Whyte and others in the boxing world who have advised him to take the fight to Usyk, but looks noticeably heavier than before the first fight.
What are the changes? ❌@Tyson_Fury says he will exploit exactly the same game plan as the first time when he faces Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the month.
Thinks? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/VtpEwLJkWx
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) December 6, 2024
Win or lose, the 36-year-old could face a long-awaited home fight against Anthony Joshua, even though “A.J.” interrupted defeat against Daniel Dubois in September.
While it may not have been as great a spectacle as it once was, a clash between Joshua and Fury would still be by far the biggest all-British fight in recent memory.
As for Whyte, he returns to the ring next Sunday night and will face Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh live on DAZN in Gibraltar.
The All-American fight between lightweight world champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing.
Both Davis and Stevenson are undefeated multi-weight champions and are staples on any respected pound-for-pound list.
With this in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming that the pair locking corners in their prime years is a given, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the near future.
“Tank” spoke to the media at the press conference inaugurating his performance March 1 fight with Lamont Roach, and when the prospect of fighting Stevenson arose, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
The Baltimore hitter even went so far as to question what his compatriot did to deserve him.
“What for? Who has Shakur [beat]? What did Shakur do?
“What has he achieved in sports? He didn’t do anything! Juvenile people look better than him!”
“Keyshawn [Davis] you look so much better than that nigga! Shout it out nigga, he ain’t done nothing!
I asked Gervonta about a possible fight with Shakur… #Box #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/T1eNFJ9iIO
— Dwa O Dwa Z.. (@Noo_Barzz) December 3, 2024
“Why the hell are you saying his name?”
Like Davis, Stevenson will also return to action in the first quarter of next year, fighting against up-and-comer Floyd Schofield on the February 22 Riyad season card.
The Newark southpaw has been sidelined since his July decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan after he had to withdraw from a proposed October fight with Joe Cordina due to injury.
Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh has expressed his willingness to have a fight between the two virtuosos, provided both are successful in their upcoming fights.
‼️ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stated that he wants the Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson fight: “My plan for Shakur is this fight [vs Floyd Schofield]then William Zepeda, and then let’s see if Tank wants to come on our show.” [@DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/Mmi6hO7Fjo
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) December 3, 2024
While he undoubtedly has the talent to rival Davis, Stevenson is not as commercial a star as his rival, and some critics believe he needs to start giving more entertaining performances if he wants to get substantial names.
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