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.