Xander Zayas says he gives himself a “B+” after defeating Jorge Garcia by a 12-round unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBO junior middleweight title on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Xander Zayas’ Self-Grade: B+
Even with Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) staying on the move and holding frequently, he still got hit by a lot of shots from Garcia (33-5, 26 KOs) that made it impossible to grade his performance as a B+. There’s no question that Xander deserved the win, but he didn’t resemble world champion material. The judges scored it 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109.
“I give it a B+,” said Xander Zayas at the post-fight press conference when asked to grade his performance against Jorge Garcia. “I will continue to win and bring glory to Puerto Rico. Some of these guys can take a punch. I keep hitting them, and I’m like, ‘Go down.’”
That performance was at a lower-C level. Zayes moved and held too much for his performance to be rated as a B+. He’s basically saying that he put on an A-level performance, and that’s not what fans say. Zander did too much holding and moving for it to be a high B.
“Overall, I’ll continue to get better. My power will continue to get better. My technique will continue to get better,” said Zayas.
Zayas’ Unchanging Fight Style
It’s highly doubtful that Zayas will “get better,” because he’s fought with the same style since he turned pro in 2019. He goes out of his way not to get hit by running and hugging. That mindset won’t change. If he could change it, he would have by now.
Zayas’ lack of power will hold him back just as much as his unwillingness to get hit. He can’t punch. By the time a fighter is 22, it’s observable whether they’ll be a puncher. If it’s not there at 22, it never will.
“I might sleep with this [WBO 154-lb title]. This is my baby. I worked hard for this. Six years as a professional, and the hard work finally paid off. I told everybody I was made for this. That this was my moment, and we made it happen. Not just me. My entire team pushed me to the highest level, and I was ready for anything that Jorge Garcia could bring tonight,” said Zayas.
Xander didn’t do any hard work. The ones that did the hard work were Zayas’ promoters at Top Rank. They’re the ones who maneuvered Xander around, picking beatable opposition.
Xander’s last five opponents
- Slawa Spomer
- Damian Sosa
- Patrick Teixeira
- Jorge Fortea
- Roberto Valenzuela Jr
The WBO’s decision to rank Jorge Garcia at #2 rather than the more formidable Israil Madrimov, Erickson Lubin, Serhii Bohachuk, and Jaron Ennis. They ranked Garcia above those fighters, which is a bizarre move and difficult to understand. If they had picked Madrimov or Boots at #2, Zayas would have never won the WBO title. He’d have been wiped out.
Last Updated on 07/27/2025
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