Vergil Ortiz Jr. denies the reports that a deal between him and Erickson Lubin is being finalized for October 18th in the U.S on DAZN. Ortiz Jr. that an offer had been made to WBO 154-lb champion Xander Zayas with a deadline of 5:00 p.m. today.
Xander’s Rejection and Conditions
Zayas replied to Vergil Jr., saying it’s not a “real offer.” He says he’d be interested in fighting him, but it would be in Puerto Rico.
It’s questionable whether Zayas’ promoters at Top Rank would allow him to fight a pressure fighter like Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) because it would be a dramatic step up from the last opponent, Jorge Garcia Perez, whom he fought for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title last month on July 26th.
Lubin is the mandatory for IBF 154-lb champion Bakhram Murtazaliev. Why would he want to fight Vergil Jr. for his WBC interim belt when he could face Bakhram for his IBF belt?
This isn’t true yet if it’s Lubin who’s next cause XANDER deadline is still at till 5pm today.He’s had the offer since Wednesday I believe. Idk how ringmagazine can post this if Xander hasn’t completely turned it down. https://t.co/G7h6gpVTP4
— Vergil Ortiz (@VergilOrtizSr) August 15, 2025
@VergilOrtiz This is not a real offer, stop lying to your Fans. The answer is YES!! Come meet me in Puerto Rico.🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/L8T0wM9P2J
— Xander Zayas (@XanderZayas) August 15, 2025
It’s unlikely that Zayas would want to fight Vergil Ort Jr. in any country, because he would be dealing with nonstop pressure the entire fight. Xander, 22, can’t punch, and he had enough trouble defeating Jorge Garcia last July.
All the clinching and moving Zayas did in that fight showed that he does handle being put under pressure. That was against a flawed opponent who looked nothing like a top-15-ranked contender.
The WBO had Garcia ranked #2 and Zayas #1 for their vacant 154-lb title. It was the perfect situation for Xander to capture the vacant WBO belt, but he still looked terrible with all the movement and excessive clinching he did.
Zayas’s Next Opponent
That deal that Golden Boy had for Zayas with a 5 pm deadline today surely won’t be accepted. Xander is rumored to be defending his WBO title against welterweight Giovani Santillan in December in Puerto Rico. That’s a gimme for Zayas.
Last Updated on 08/15/2025
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