Xander Zayas will take on Mexican Jorge Garcia for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title in New York on Saturday, July 26.
They will fight inside The Theater, Madison Square Garden, on a bill that also features Brooklyn contender Bruce Carrington against Namibia’s Mateus Heita who meet for the WBC interim title at featherweight.
The TV portion of the card is rounded out with an eight-rounder that sees Mexican American prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas paired with Ecuador’s Alexander Espinoza at junior welterweight.
Zayas is 21-0 (13 KOs) and aiming to be the next great champion from Puerto Rico. He signed with Top Rank aged 16, and made his debut at 17.
“This is a dream I’ve worked hard for my entire life,” said Zayas. “I’ve got a good opponent in Jorge Garcia, a Mexican hungry to become a world champion. But I’m ready to raise the Puerto Rican flag high in victory and become a world champion at 22 years old. See you all on July 26.”
On his way up the ladder, Zayas has defeated the likes of Elias Espadas, Patrick Teixeira, and Slawa Spomer.
Garcia, who has a 33-4 (26 KOs) record, has won his last eight which started with a seventh-round stoppage of then-undefeated Hector Andres Reyes.
In April, he scored a contender for Upset of the Year when he took the undefeated record of Charles Conwell, a victory that has parlayed into a NO. 2 ranking with the WBO and his title fight with Zayas.
“A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to win my last fight, but I scored a stunning upset,” said Garcia. “Even though I was the underdog, I shocked the world. This fight won’t be any different. Becoming a world champion is my dream, and I’m ready to make it come true on July 26 with a dominant win over Xander Zayas. Mexico will have a new champion this summer.”
Carrington is now 15-0 (9 KOs) and has been calling out the leading featherweight names, without reply.
He’s No. 1 with the WBC and WBO, No. 2 with the WBA, and No. 4 with the IBF, having gone 4-0 last year.
“It’s always a thrill to fight in my city, and I can’t wait to bring the ‘Shu Shu Show’ back to The Theater at Madison Square Garden,” Carrington said. “The featherweight division is full of champions who have refused my challenge, so I credit Heida for accepting. That said, I will take out my frustration on him on July 26 and continue putting the division on notice.”
The 14-0 (9 KOs) Heita will hope to follow in the footsteps of his countrymen Julius Indongo, Paulus Moses, and Paulus Ambunda. He turned pro in 2018 and was 9-0 at junior featherweight before he moved up in weight.
“I’ve proven to the world that I’m a world-class boxer, and facing the best has always been my ambition because I believe I’m destined for greatness,” said Heita. “I see Bruce as just another obstacle to becoming a world champion. There’s nothing particularly special about him — he’s simply another challenge I will overcome.”
The promising Vargas, undefeated in 14 with 12 stoppage wins, is the youngest son of former champion Fernando Vargas and is entering his third year as a pro. Now aged 20, the junior welterweight prospect joked: “Like 50 Cent said, I run New York. All jokes aside, I’m ready to perform on the biggest stage and continue to win,” Vargas said. “Each fight is one step closer to becoming the world champion God called me to be.”
Also on the bill, second-generation Puerto Rican star Juanmita Lopez De Jesus, 2-0 (1 KO), boxes and he is joined by debutant and former Team USA amateur star Julius ‘JuJu’ Ballo.
Lopez boxes over four rounds against Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez (5-2, 4 KOs), and the 22-year-old Ballo has been matched with Brandan Ayala (2-0, 1 KO) over four-rounds at featherweight bout.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is hoping young Puerto Rican star Zayas delivers on his talent.
“When we signed Xander at the age of 16, he was a teenager with all the potential in the world,” said Zayas. “He’s now an accomplished young contender with a tremendous opportunity to win his first world title. Jorge Garcia has been impressive lately, and I expect an action-packed, dramatic main event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.”