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Xander Zayas recalls attending Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show

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On the evening of January 31, Puerto Rico’s Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KO) celebrated the biggest victory of his boxing career, becoming the unified junior middleweight champion by defeating Abass Baraou by unanimous decision in front of his hometown fans.

On the morning of February 1, Zayas flew to San Francisco to meet Bad Bunny to rehearse for his role in the Puerto Rican recording artist’s highly anticipated Super Bowl LX halftime performance.

Suffice it to say that the last two weeks have been a special time for Zayas.

“This is what happens when you put in the work and wait your turn,” Zayas, 23, told ESPN on Tuesday. “Everything was aligned for me and great things were happening. I got off to a good start in 2026 by putting in the work, keeping my head down, and when opportunities presented themselves, I was able to shine.”

Zayas, currently the youngest world boxing champion, made a cameo appearance during Bad Bunny alongside Mexican boxer Emiliano Vargas – a nod to the notable boxing rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico in a moment that immediately went viral.

They joined a star-studded list of celebrities that included Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Karol G and Ronald Acuna Jr. as Bad Bunny’s captivating stage performance paid tribute to Puerto Rican culture.

Zayas, who signed with Bad Bunny’s Rimas Sports, told ESPN last September that he was targeting a 2026 breakout, but even he didn’t think it would start this way.

“It was the greatest experience of my life,” Zayas said, while noting that he was shocked when singer Ricky Martin, who also performed at the show, recognized who he was. “I expected to be the unified world champion, but I never expected to be part of the Super Bowl.”

Two weeks before his match with Baraou, then the WBA junior middleweight champion, Zayas received a call asking if he would like to attend Bad Bunny’s halftime show. The obvious answer was yes, but Zayas still had a task ahead of him: win the Baraou fight, which he did by a thrilling unanimous decision in Puerto Rico.

“I didn’t want to go into the Super Bowl as an underdog, so I definitely had to get that win first,” Zayas said. “They understood and had no plans until I won. But his team told me that when I won on January 31, I would have to fly to training the next day. So I literally wrestled on Saturday night, left the gym at 3 a.m. and hopped on a plane to San Francisco.”

Bad Bunny was in Los Angeles on February 1 to accept a Grammy Award for his album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which won Album of the Year. However, he had watched Zayas fight the night before.

Upon Bad Bunny’s arrival in San Francisco, he immediately greeted Zayas with a hug as the two briefly celebrated their victories before getting to work. Zayas had previously seen what Bad Bunny had prepared and was proud of what the Latin rapper was preparing to present to the world.

“I was very proud because I had the chance to experience all this before it happened,” Zayas said. “I got to see all the work that everyone put in, not just the performers, but the entire production. It was a great experience to eat with everyone and stand next to Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga.”

For a man who does this for a living, Zayas said his performance was more stressful than any prize fight he had ever entered.

“I box for a living, so I’m always prepared, but I’ve never been to the Super Bowl,” Zayas said. “I had never been around 70,000 people and I definitely didn’t want to do something and screw up. So of course I was very careful and very nervous.”

With the weekend behind him and significant attention focused on his next move, Zayas is already planning his next fight.

“[IBF junior middleweight champion] Josh Kelly is my next victim,” said Zayas, who hopes to fight at Modern York’s Madison Square Garden during the Puerto Rican Day weekend parade on June 13. “I want all the belts. I’m trying to be like Thanos and get all the Infinity Stones and blow everyone away.

While he waits for this fight to be resolved, Zayas can bask in the fact that he has accomplished more in two weeks than most people achieve in a lifetime. Still, he believes there are even bigger things to come in his career.

“For now, I will rest in Puerto Rico and enjoy this moment, but from now on, every moment will be greater and better than the last because now I have to continue to enrich my legacy,” he said.

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: Hes Going to Piece Him Up

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: "He's Going to Piece Him Up"

Tim Bradley anticipates a “hell of a fight” unfolding between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli, but only sees one man emerging victorious on October 31.

The pair will collide in a super-middleweight contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.

He was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion following the retirement of Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed 168lb king by dethroning Canelo with a unanimous decision victory in September.

That same night, Mbilli defended his then-interim belt with a 10-round draw against Lester Martinez, producing a performance that aptly reflected his high-volume style.

But while the Frenchman does, indeed, force a considerable pace in the ring, many doubt that this will be enough to trump the 36-year-old Canelo.

Despite coming to the end of his decorated career, the Mexican hardly disgraced himself against Crawford and, prior to that, had remained unbeaten since his 2022 defeat to Dmitry Bivol.

Not only that, but many feel Alvarez is a more technically savvy operator than Mbilli, who throws punches in bunches but typically comes forward in straight lines.

It is partly because of this that Hall of Famer Bradley, while speaking with FightHypehas predicted a dominant victory for Canelo.

“He going to piece Mbilli’s ass up. I like Mbilli – tough guy, comes to bring the pain. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. But Canelo going to catch and shoot on his ass all night long.

“Uppercuts, hooks … it’s going to be bad. [Canelo’s] going to look like he’s back [to his best].”

By “catch and shoot”, Bradley means he is expecting Canelo to punish Mbilli with his counterpunching prowess, even if the 31-year-old keeps springing back with relentless aggression.

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Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: You Have No Other Option

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"Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: 'You Have No Other Option'"

Devin Haney is currently searching for his next opponent and Shakur Stevenson believes there is only one option for him.

Haney hasn’t fought since becoming a three-division world champion when he defeated Brian Norman Jr by unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title back in November.

He has been rumoured to face a number of opponents since then, including Stevenson himself, but it looked like ‘The Dream’ would finally settle on a mandatory showdown with Keyshawn Davis after Top Rank won the purse bid for the clash last week.

Those plans went up in smoke when Davis pulled out of the contest, and Stevenson has explained why he thinks Haney now must target a battle against unified super-welterweight champion Jaron Ennis.

“You said you’d fight Conor Benn? You said you’d find Xander. Why the f**k you don’t say you want to fight Boots now? Matter of fact, you’ve got no other option.

“There’s nobody else on the table. There’s no me, there’s no Key[shawn Davis]there’s no Rolly. Who do you go to? Boots is free. Go get him.”

Ennis previously became unified champion at welterweight before moving up to 154lbs, making an instant impact in the new division when he stopped Xander Zayas in June to win the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles.

It remains to be seen whether Haney would have any interest in moving up in weight to take on Ennis, with ‘Boots’ also having been linked to fights against IBF champion Josh Kelly, and fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz.

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New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight

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"New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight"

A newly-crowned world champion believes he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin by becoming the best middleweight fighter on the planet.

Canelo and Golovkin each ruled the 160lb division for a number of years, culminating in two middleweight battles between the pair and one at super-middleweight.

While ‘GGG’ may have last competed in 2022, Canelo remains active, but now fights at super-middleweight, opening the door for a fighter to step up and become the top dog in the middleweight division.

One man who believes he can do just that is Aaron McKenna, who won the vacant IBF middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Etinosa Oliha in Dublin on Saturday.

Speaking to Sky Sports following that win, McKenna explained how he has ambitions to pick up where the likes of Canelo and Golovkin left off.

“It doesn’t matter [who’s next]whoever wants it. I’m easy to find now, I have a belt. There’s no hiding any more. I want to collect every single belt in boxing. I’m the best middleweight and super-middleweight in the world. I don’t mind jumping up.

“The middleweight division’s there to be took over. It’s been dying for years since GGG (Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I said it again, a year ago, I think I’m going to be the man to take it over.”

The other world champions at 160lbs may have a thing or two to say about McKenna’s plan, as Denzel Bentley is the current WBO champion, Carlos Adamas holds the WBC belt, and Erislandy Lara is the WBA titleholder.

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