Xander Zayas is not the first Puerto Rickon boxer to feel at home in New York, but on Saturday, 22 years old separated themselves after becoming the youngest world champion, when they captured the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight Lav with a major decision win on George Garcia Pereze at the theater at Madison Square Garden.
Fighting in the garden for the eighth time in his career, Jayas (22–0, 13 kos) was under control from the initial bell, using elusive footwork and counterpreting to quail the strange but powerful crime of Garcia Perez. As Jayas raised his opponent’s time, he kept a distance – even when Garcia Perez, after absorbing a combination, tried to bring it to Jayas, standing in a corner. When Garcia Perez closed the distance, Zayas tied it.
The three judges honored the battle of Jayas (116-112, 118-110, 119-109). Garcia Perez, a 28-year-old Mexico, saw his eight-fight winning streak.
In the last 30 seconds of Round 6, Zayas did an exchanges with a right hand, which stumbled Garcia Perez (33–4, 26 KO) in ropes. Garcia Perez achieved his rank, but Jayas continued to separate him.
Garcia Perez appeared to disappear, but he had a strong eighth round, and thrown more combinations. But in the ninth, Zayas avoided loss and responded with combinations. He was under control in the rest of the way, landing at a high percentage and missing Garcia Perez.
According to Combox, Jayas landed 50 and Jab and 19 more power Panchs compared to Garcia Perez despite throwing 81 fewer punches. Garcia Perez joined 22% of his total punches and 24% of his power panches, while Zayas attached 38% of his total punches and 45% of his power panches. Zayas also took a 59-31 lead in body shots.
“It’s amazing. It is surprising to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level and to keep the pride of my island, where it is at the top,” Jayas said, who is the most recent fighter of Puerto Rico to win the Junior Middleweight World Championship.
Zayas, which is number 8 in ESPN Junior Middleweight rankings, is 22 years, 324 days old. The next youngest champion is 24 years, welterweight Brian Norman Junior in 245 days.
In the co-main program, Bruce “Shoo Shoo” Carrington won the vacant WBC interim wing title with a unilateral decision win on Matus Heta.
Carrington (16–0, 9 KO) was a heavy favorite, and it was shown. After the relatively competitive first three rounds, Carrington began to join the body and head with the right hand counters.
Heta hit several solid punches on her head during the middle period, but was not waver. His activity decreased, and Carrington extended the attack by hitting most of Heta’s big punches. Carrington threw the combinations up to the last bell, and the judges rewarded him with a unanimous decision (120–108, 119–109, 119–109).
This was the first disadvantage of his career, falling 27-year-old 14–1 in his first battle outside Africa from Namibia. ESPN’s featherweight rankings are Carrington No 6.
After achieving his interim belt, Carrington focused her attention to WBO Champion Rafael Aspinoza, which was Ringside. “I look at you in the crowd,” Carrington said pointing to Aspinoza. “I want you, brother. You already know. My team has called your team. I want to fight.”
On the undercard on Saturday, Emilianio class, son of former light middleweight champion Fernando class, improved 15–0 with a 42-second knockout of Junior Welterweight Alexander Aspinoza. This was the sixth straight knockout of the class and 13th of his career.
