Vergil Ortiz Jr. fired back on social media at WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas after being labeled and dismissed as a “27-year-old prospect.” Ortiz Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) reacted by saying he’s “fought top competition compared to a champion, Zayas, who was ‘gifted a title and has fought nobody.”
Xander (22-0, 13 KOs) told Ring Magazine why he felt he didn’t need to fight Vergil Jr, saying that he’d been told in the past, “Talk to me when you become a champion.” He says now that he’s the WBO 154-lb belt-holder, he’s going to say the same thing to WBC interim junior middleweight Ortiz Jr., who has yet to win a world title.
A ‘Gifted’ Champion’s Path
Top Rank used their expertise to steer the 22-year-old Puerto Rico-born Xander Zayas into the WBO title with their matchmaking, lining up first a title eliminator against little-known Slawa Spomer earlier this year on February 14th, and then into a fight against #2 Jorge Garcia Perez for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title on July 26th. Zayas won both fights to become the new WBO champion.
Prospect that has actually fought top competition > champion that was gifted a title that has fought nobody https://t.co/Qs7Wlmsm1s
— Vergil Ortiz Jr. (@VergilOrtiz) August 27, 2025
The “gifted” remark by Vergil Jr. reflects the view that some people on social media have that Top Rank maneuvered Zayas into his WBO title. Xander didn’t have to fight any of these fighters to win his belt:
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
– Israil Madrimov
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Sebastian Fundora
– Abass Baraou
– Erickson Lubin
– Jaron Ennis
Ortiz Jr.’s Gauntlet of Opponents
Fans noted that Zayas didn’t have to fight any of the talented fighters in the 154-pound division to win his WBO belt, unlike Vergil Ortiz Jr., who did in his last two fights against Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk.
Ortiz Jr. has run the gauntlet, going up against them, and now he’s facing #1 IBF and #3 WBO-ranked Erickson Lubin on November 8th in Fort Worth, Texas.
Last Updated on 08/26/2025
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