Junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas 19-0 (12) has cleared another hurdle in his bid to win a world title in the talent-rich 154-pound division.
The 21-year-old Puerto Rican, who turned professional at just 16 years of age, had never boxed a southpaw before he stepped into the ring against Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira 34-5 (25) at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night.
And despite graduating to 10-rounders two fights ago, he had never been the full 10-round distance. All that changed against Teixeira, 33.
Zayas was all aggression against Teixeira. He looked comfortable boxing a lefty, picked his shots well and mixed up his attack to the body and head. Overall, it was a polished performance from Zayas, who won by scores of 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91.
“Thank you to all my people in Puerto Rico. Since I was five years old, I dreamed about this. It’s happening, thanks to you guys, and I want to thank you for everything you do for me,” Zayas said.
“[Teixeira] was tough, obviously knowing that he was a veteran, he knew how to survive in there. It was sometimes difficult to find the body, but with the experience, he hid it. I was trying to land the hook and he was ducking underneath. I felt it was a tough test, but I passed it with flying colours.
“Like everyone at Top Rank tells me, before you go 12, you have to go 10. I did it today. I graduated. Those were the rounds I needed. I’m ready for whatever they throw at me now.
“I have to work on that angle to the lefty, getting to the outside, working the body. I felt my distance was key today.”
CompuBox had Zayas going 204 of 704 in total punches, landing at 29% compared to Teixeira who was only able to land 63 of 446 at 14%. Zayas also landed 76 body shots over the 10 rounds.
Zayas was full of nothing but praise for his opponent, who pushed ahead with the fight despite suffering a deep personal loss in the lead up to the bout.
“A couple weeks ago, we learned that Patrick’s mother passed away,” said Zayas. “And like a warrior, he was here. He came here and put on a show, so I want to give a round of applause to Patrick Teixeira.”
The winner already has some names in mind to help him move up the ranks.
“I’ve been saying it, Josh Kelly,” Zayas said. “[Top Rank] also just signed Vito Mielnicki, a good friend of mine, but he’s 154 pounds and he’s form Jersey. It’s a fight we can make happen in the future.”
England’s Kelly holds a record on 15-1 (8) and has only been defeated by David Avanesyan. The 30-year-old is ranked WBC number six, IBF number five and WBO number three.
The 22-year-old Mielnicki Jr is 18-1 (12) and is ranked WBA number four.
