Xander Zayas Vs. Jorge Garcia Results, Full Fight Card Results
Xander Zayas is the youngest world champion in boxing. The 22-year-old boxed circles around Jorge Garcia on Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden and captured the vacant WBO junior middleweight championship. Zayas prevailed via unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 119-109, and 118-110 in a one-sided fight fit for the Puerto Rican superstar's championship coronation.
The fight wasn't as close as the 116-112 card indicated as Garcia mostly swung wildly through the fight, though he did land the occasional body shot. No harm done—the right fighter won.
The crowd was electric and packed with proud Puerto Ricans there to cheer on their next boxing sensation. Zayas acknowledged them, his mom, and fans who have supported him through the journey to championship level.
Here is a look at the CompuBox numbers.
The ultimate moment in the fight came in the ninth when Zayas landed a nasty one-two combination that appeared to wobble Garcia. It was the closest the tough Mexican came to being stopped, but it also served as the final stamp of Zayas' dominance on the night. There was no controversy here—just a young fighter putting it all together under the lights in New York City.
After the fight, reaction across the boxing world came quick. Top Rank Boxing, Zayas' promoter that signed him to a historic deal when he was just 16, captured the moment in this post:
Future Hall-of-Famer Terence Crawford sent congratulations Zayas' way.
Long-time boxing fan and Hollywood legend Rosie Perez took to X to congratulate Zayas as well.
After the fight, Zayas had a lot to say about his country and what he'd like next. "It was amazing. It's amazing to be here and to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level. And to just put the pride of my island where it belongs, at the top."
Zayas also called for a unification fight with WBC champion Sebastian Fundora or IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Full Card Results
Garcia didn't get an opportunity to speak on the ESPN broadcast. However, he made a solid account of himself. He never quit, but he was outmatched by superior hand speed, defensive instincts, and punch accuracy. He'll get another opportunity to have a meaningful fight at 154 pounds, but on Saturday, he was beat by a better fighter.
Zayas says he will be ready to fight in December, so we'll see who he gets. He turns 23 in September and because of his frame, it'll be interesting to see how long he chooses to stay at 154 pounds. It'll also be fun to watch how big of a role he plays at the forefront of Top Rank Boxing as the promotion transitions to another network.
Because of Zayas' youth and built-in fanbase, you'd think he is one of the more valuable fighters on their roster.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brent Crews Sells Micro Sprints to Fund New NASCAR Truck Team, Friends Zilisch and Love Not Involved
After three races with Tricon Garage in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra, Brent Crews has gone all in on NASCAR Truck Racing. The rising Toyota development driver sold his Micro Sprints to fund his own Truck team, Brent Crews Motorsports, as an owner and driver. The 17-year-old's first race in the No. 70 Toyota Tundra will be next weekend at Watkins Glen, as he's decided that he doesn't want to sit on the sidelines of the sport. "I don't really know where this is going to go, but with all the buzz around road course guys right now, it didn't seem right to miss Watkins Glen," Crews said in a press release. "I love the track. Watching on TV was NOT an option." Crews is following in the footsteps of mentors Brian Keselowski and Nick Tucker, who both funded truck teams on shoestring budgets at portions of their careers. Tucker now owns and operates Nitro Motorsports, where Crews will run BCM out of in the early stages of the team before investing in a race shop. I grew up going to dinner on race weekends with guys like Nick Tucker and Brian Keselowski listening to stories about building race cars and engines out of spare parts and barely getting to the track,' Crews said in his press release. 'Even though everyone would tell them they were crazy, it always sounded like so much fun to me. When we started talking about me buying a truck to run Watkins Glen, no one was willing to tell me it was a bad idea and it just kind of snowballed from there. I sold all my micro sprints to raise some of the money and here we are." Before Friday's ARCA race at Iowa Speedway, Crews had to clarify one misunderstanding. When he announced that he was starting his own team, he overexaggerated the roles of his friends and racing competitors Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch, who both race for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. "Connor and Jesse are great friends of mine, but we went a little overboard in exaggerating their roles," Crews wrote on X. "To be clear, they have no official capacity, other than they are friends who want me to do well." Brent Crews would go on to finish second in the Atlas 150 ARCA race at Iowa Speedway. Both Zilisch and Love posted on X similar explanations, sharing their teams and manufacturers to clear the air about their involvement. Clearly, making it known that neither of them has any association with Toyota. Crews has one more race with Tricon scheduled this season at Richmond, that weekend he'll strap into the No. 1 truck instead of the No. 70. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
CBS News
11 minutes ago
- CBS News
Rahaman Ali, brother of Muhammad Ali and former heavyweight boxer, dies at 82
Rahaman Ali, the younger brother of Muhammad Ali and a former boxer, has died at the age of 82, the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, said Saturday. Rahaman died on Friday, Aug. 1, the nonprofit museum dedicated to the boxing legend said. His cause of death was not released. Born as Rudolph Arnett Clay, Rahaman was a year and a half younger than his older brother. In their little pink house in Louisville's west end, the brothers liked to wrestle and play cards and shoot hoops. He looked up to his big brother, following in his path when Rahaman became a professional boxer in the heavyweight class from 1964 to 1972. When Muhammad died in 2016, Rahaman recalled him as "a really sweet, kind, loving, giving, affectionate, wonderful person." After he retired from boxing, Rahaman often traveled with Muhammad and trained with him, according to the Muhammad Ali Center. "Rahaman was his brother's biggest supporter," the nonprofit's statement said. In 2014, Rahaman Ali released a book titled "That's Muhammad Ali's Brother! My Life on the Undercard." It was co-authored by boxing writer and columnist H. Ron Brashear. Rahaman Ali also penned a second book titled "My Brother, Muhammad Ali - The Definitive Biography" in 2019. "You can't tell Muhammad's story without mentioning Rahaman," said DeVone Holt, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center said in a statement. "He was one of the most constant sources of support for Muhammad during this career and their relationship was a true example of what it means to be 'my brother's keeper.'" Rahaman Ali's funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date, the organization said.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Will Buffalo Shock Re-Arranged Rangers Next Year?
ongoing series on the Buffalo Sabres and their opponents next season continues with this look at the New York Rangers and the considerable changes the Rangers have made thus far this off-season, as well as their record against the Sabres and their schedule head-to-head this coming season.
