Xander Zayas Conquers World Title at Madison Square Garden
Xander Zayas, the young Puerto Rican boxer, has made history by becoming the youngest current world champion. On Saturday, at the emblematic Theater at Madison Square Garden, Zayas prevailed with a dominant decision victory over Jorge García Pérez, securing the vacant WBO junior middleweight title.
In his eighth appearance at the Garden, Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) demonstrated absolute control from the first round. His agility in the ring and his ability to counterattack were key to neutralizing the offensive, though powerful, of García Pérez. Zayas kept his distance, frustrating his opponent’s attempts to close the space.
The three judges agreed on their verdict, awarding the victory to Zayas with scorecards of 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109. García Pérez, a 28-year-old Mexican boxer, saw his streak of eight consecutive victories interrupted.
In the final seconds of the sixth round, Zayas connected with a powerful right hand that sent García Pérez against the ropes. Although García Pérez recovered, Zayas continued to punish him with precision.
Despite an eighth round where García Pérez showed a slight recovery, Zayas regained control in the ninth, dodging the blows and responding with effective combinations. The rest of the fight was a display of dominance by Zayas, who connected a high percentage of his punches, while García Pérez failed in his attempts.
According to CompuBox, Zayas surpassed García Pérez in the number of punches, connecting 50 jabs and 19 more power punches, despite throwing 81 fewer punches. Zayas’ effectiveness was notable, with 38% of his total punches and 45% of his power punches connecting, compared to 22% and 24% for García Pérez. In addition, Zayas dominated in body shots, with a 59-31 advantage.
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
With 22 years and 324 days, Zayas, currently ranked number 8 in the junior middleweight ranking, becomes the youngest champion, surpassing Brian Norman Jr., who holds the welterweight title.
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington Crowned Interim Champion
In the co-main event, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington claimed the WBC interim featherweight title, following a decisive decision victory over Mateus Heita.
Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs), who started as the favorite, demonstrated his superiority from the first rounds. After three competitive initial rounds, Carrington began to connect punches to the body and head with his right hand.
Heita, although he received several solid blows, was not knocked down. However, his activity decreased, and Carrington intensified his attack, dodging most of Heita’s blows. Carrington maintained his offense until the end, securing the victory by unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 119-109).
This was Heita’s first career defeat, who now has a record of 14-1 in his first fight outside of Africa. Carrington is ranked number 6 in the featherweight rankings.
After receiving his interim belt, Carrington turned his gaze to the WBO champion, Rafael Espinoza, present at the event. “I see you in the crowd,” Carrington said, pointing to Espinoza. “I love you, brother. You already know. My team has contacted your team. I want to fight.”
Emiliano Vargas Shines in the Preliminary Card
In the preliminary card, Emiliano Vargas, son of former super welterweight champion Fernando Vargas, continued his rise by improving his record to 15-0 with a knockout in the second round over Alexander Espinoza, this being his sixth consecutive knockout and the thirteenth of his career.
