Xander Zayas Wants Big Fights: To Be The Best You Gotta Beat The Best

Xander Zayas has yet to be matched with any of the elites at 154 pounds, but that hasn't stopped him from believing that his championship moment is coming.

Presently, the highly touted prospect enjoyed a highly successful 2022. With three lopsided victories underneath his belt, the 20-year-old budding star is craving step-up bouts in 2023. At the moment, it remains unlikely that the Puerto Rican native will find himself in the championship mix, no matter who he ultimately faces. Considering that Zayas is unranked in each of the four major sanctioning bodies, the fan-friendly fighter will simply place his head down and continue to work in the shadows.

If, however, he receives a call from Jermell Charlo, the division’s undisputed champion, Zayas (15-0, 10 KOs) won’t eschew from facing the 154-pound kingpin.

“That would be a fight that would definitely interest me,” said Zayas to Tru School Sports during a recent interview. “Fighting that top dog, that’s the name of the game. To be the best you gotta beat the best.”

Despite his ambitions, Zayas has a long list of top contenders standing at the very front of the line. As Charlo begins his recovery from a broken left hand, he could be mandated to take on the winner between Tony Harrison and Tim Tszyu on March 12th in Australia.

When last seen, a vividly pumped crowd roared on their feet in New York's Madison Square Garden as Zayas pummeled Alexis Salazar Flores to the tune of a one-sided unanimous decision.

The victories though, at least until this point, are inconsequential to his short-term goals. Although countless prognosticators believe that he’s very much outside of the championship picture, Zayas concludes that with just a few more strong performances, he’ll be on the doorsteps of Charlo, ready and waiting for his shot at a world title.

“I know that we're getting close.” 

Zayas is scheduled to return on April, against veteran Ronald Cruz at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa.