Junior middleweight Xander Zayas fulfilled a childhood dream by starring in a major boxing match at Madison Square Garden over the Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend, but he has his sights set on facing even bigger names in the future.
Zayas won by unanimous decision over former titleholder Patrick Teixeira at the Madison Square Garden Theater.
After the fight, the 21-year-old Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) spoke about future opponents in the weight class.
“I’ve been saying this. [Erickson] “Rubin, Josh Kelly,” Zayas said in the ring, “and my good friend Vito Mielnicki Jr. at 154 pounds.”
Zayas is currently ranked 5th by the WBO, 7th by the WBC and 13th by the IBF. Josh Kelly and Erickson Rubin are both ranked higher than Zayas in the WBO rankings, and it is the WBO rankings that have brought Zayas the closest he has come to a title shot. Zayas was hoping to beat the former champion within six rounds, but praised Teixeira's skill after the fight.
“He knew how to survive out there,” Zayas said. “It was a tough test, and he passed it with flying colors.”
Zayas viewed his first main event bout as a valuable learning experience, paving the way for future title shots and even more high-profile bouts. Reflecting on his first 10-round main event appearance in New York, he said:
“As the guys at Top Rank say, you need to get to 10 before you get to 12. [rounds]”I did it today. I graduated against a former world champion,” Zayas said.
