Xander Zayas Conquers Junior Middleweight World Championship
Puerto Rican boxer Xander Zayas has made history by becoming the youngest current world champion. On Saturday, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Zayas, 22, defeated Jorge Garcia Perez, winning the vacant WBO junior middleweight title. This victory marks a milestone in Zayas’s career, who has demonstrated his dominance in the ring from the start. With a strategy based on footwork and counterattacks, he managed to control the fight from the first round. The judges awarded the victory to Zayas with scores of 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109. Garcia Perez, from Mexico, saw his streak of eight consecutive victories interrupted. In the sixth round, Zayas sent Garcia Perez against the ropes with a powerful right hand. Although Garcia Perez recovered, Zayas continued his offensive, outperforming him in each exchange. Despite a stronger eighth round by Garcia Perez, Zayas regained control in the ninth, avoiding his opponent’s punches and responding with effective combinations. Zayas maintained control for the remainder of the fight, connecting a high percentage of punches and causing Garcia Perez to miss. According to CompuBox statistics, Zayas connected 50 jabs and 19 more power punches than Garcia Perez, despite throwing fewer punches in total. Zayas had a 38% success rate on total punches and 45% on power punches. In addition, he outlanded Garcia Perez in body shots, 59-31.With this victory, Zayas, currently ranked number 8 in the junior middleweight ranking, positions himself as the youngest champion, at 22 years and 324 days old. The next youngest champion is Brian Norman Jr., in the welterweight category.It’s incredible. It’s incredible to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level and put the pride of my island where it belongs: at the top.
Xander Zayas
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington Wins WBC Interim Featherweight Title
In the co-stellar event, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington took the WBC interim featherweight title after a unanimous decision over Mateus Heita. Carrington, considered the favorite, demonstrated his superiority from the first rounds. After three competitive rounds, he began to connect body shots and headshots with right-hand counterpunches. Heita, although he received several solid blows, was not knocked down. However, his activity decreased, allowing Carrington to intensify his attack and evade most of Heita’s blows. The judges awarded Carrington with a unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 119-109). This was the first defeat in Heita’s career, who now has a record of 14-1. Carrington, currently ranked number 6 in the featherweight rankings, turned his attention to Rafael Espinoza, WBO champion, who was present at the event.In the preliminary event, Emilianio Vargas, son of former light middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, extended his record to 15-0 with a first-round knockout over Alexander Espinoza in the super lightweight category. This was Vargas’ sixth consecutive knockout victory, and the thirteenth in his career.I see you in the crowd. I love you, brother. You already know. My team has called your team. I want to fight.
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington
