Xander Zayas kept his ongoing exchange with Vergil Ortiz Jr. active on Wednesday by posting a training video that doubled as a birthday message and a quiet dig.
The clip showed Zayas working in the gym while wishing Ortiz a happy birthday, but he did it wearing gear marked “Boots,” a clear nod to Jaron Ennis. The post followed recent back-and-forth between the two, where Ortiz fired off a “rent-free in your head” line after Zayas backed himself in a potential fight involving Ennis.
𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆… pic.twitter.com/rTGm2F9XH8
— Xander Zayas (@XanderZayas) March 25, 2026
Xander has taken a lighter tone on the surface, but the pattern has stayed the same over the past year. He answers Vergil Jr. without backing off the original stance, and he keeps tying the conversation to bigger names and bigger fights.
The reaction online moved quickly toward a familiar theme. Fans leaned into the Puerto Rico–Mexico angle, pointing to past rivalries and calling for the two to meet next. The exchange has been building in that direction for months, even without a formal move from either side.
Promoters have not announced talks, but the idea of a Puerto Rico weekend fight has come up again in fan discussion, with both fighters active and moving through the same weight range.
Zayas is not letting the moment cool off. He is keeping Ortiz in the conversation while placing himself next to the bigger names at 154. The fight could quickly cool off if Xander winds up facing Ennis and gets stopped or conclusively beaten by a decision.
A loss to ‘Boots’ in a one-sided fashion would cement the view some fans already have of him being a hype job. It would be a good idea for the Top Rank-promoted Xander to focus on the task at hand against Ennis instead of stirring up a fight against Vergil Jr. that he may never get to.
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Last Updated on 2026/03/25 at 10:02 PM
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