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Mikey Williams/Top RankJAMESTOWN, Calif. – Junior middleweight Xander Zayas’ trainer, Javiel Centeno, says that the team is watching the result of Sebastian Fundora-Chordale Booker on March 22 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Zayas is coming off a ninth-round technical knockout victory of Slawa Spomer at the Theater at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Zayas, the 22-year-old Puerto Rican phenom, who is slowly starting to have the island behind him, wants to have a breakout year in 2025. Fighting the winner of Fundora-Booker, with Fundora's WBC and WBO titles on the line, would give him a chance to do just that.
“In the present we are looking at the fight with Fundora and Booker. We’ll probably be there ringside,” Centeno told BoxingScene. “The fact that Xander is now ranked number one in the WBO and I think number three in the WBC, it just makes sense for that fight to happen. I'm not too sure that Fundora beats Booker.”
In the past decade, junior middleweight has been one of the more exciting divisions in the sport, as the belts rapidly changed hands until Jermell Charlo became undisputed champion in 2021. For example, the WBO junior middleweight title has had 10 champions dating back to October 2015 when Liam Smith held the title.
“The division is probably one of the hottest divisions right now,” Centeno said. Centeno also noted that the division had been tied up due to potential future fights. The WBA junior middleweight titleholder Terence Crawford has been inactive and pursuing a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight and Fundora was rumored to be looking to fight Errol Spence Jnr. That fight never happened.
“I think a lot of the big fights are just being held up. And that division was being held up because of it,” Centeno added.
The division now has a crop of new faces as the young 20-somethings are looking to make names for themselves. Zayas, 21-0 (13 KOs), is one of those names.
Fundora, 21-1-1 (13 KOs), a 27-year-old from Coachella, California, upset Tim Tszyu to become unified champion. He hasn’t fought since, but Booker, 23-1 (11 KOs), is a 33-year-old 2016 U.S. Olympic alternate who is from Stamford, Connecticut. The goal for Zayas is to focus on getting a title.
Zayas was immensely popular during the pandemic given how frequently he was fighting - six times in 2021. Centeno explained the following: “Xander is at a point where either the next fight or two he's looking to fight for a title and then defend it,” Centeno said. “Just to keep that title active, not just sitting on it waiting for the next big fight. Xander just likes to fight. Xander wants to get into the ring and challenge himself. I'll tell you, Xander is one of those fighters who is not afraid of losing. Xander is afraid of not being active.”
