Xander Zayas has agreed to take on WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 22-year-old Puerto Rican star claims he accepted the fight offer within a minute, despite knowing the enormous challenge ahead.
Ortiz has been searching for an opponent after Jaron "Boots" Ennis declined the matchup, citing weight concerns. Ortiz hasn’t fought at 147 since 2022 and is now established at junior middleweight, making Zayas’s decision to step in a bold one.
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However, critics are questioning whether Zayas is ready for this leap. While he’s been groomed as a future star by Top Rank, his performances against opponents like Damian Sosa and Patrick Teixeira have been labeled underwhelming. Despite holding high rankings in multiple sanctioning bodies (#1 WBO, #4 WBC, and #5 IBF), his resume lacks the depth to suggest he’s prepared for someone of Ortiz’s caliber.
Still, Vergil has other potential opponents like Bakhram Murtazaliev and Israil Madrimov, but Zayas’s agreement brings fresh intrigue to the Riyadh card. For Zayas, it’s a chance to prove he belongs among the elite, while Ortiz will aim to make a statement against an untested but promising contender.
Image Credit: Top Rank