Zayas, however, sees things differently. While he acknowledges Fundora’s talent, he believes the division is far too crowded for such a bold statement to be treated as fact.
“The division runs through me,” Fundora said following the Thurman fight.
Zayas has a logical and personal reason for dismissing Fundora’s claim. His skepticism boils down to the fact that while Fundora is talking like a king, Zayas is the one currently collecting the hardware and taking the bigger risks.
As of early 2026, Zayas is the one holding the momentum. He is the unified WBO and WBA champion, having picked up those titles by beating Jorge Garcia Perez and Abass Baraou.
While Fundora holds the WBC belt, Zayas is currently the youngest unified champion in the sport. In his eyes, you can’t claim to “run” a division when someone younger than you holds more of the pieces.
“He’s a good fighter,” Zayas said to Ring Magazine about Fundora. “But there’s a lot of fighters at 154. I don’t think the division runs through him.”
WBC junior middleweight champion Fundora’s claim to the throne is a bit shaky because he didn’t clean out the division to get there. He won his belts in a chaotic period for the 154-lb class, and skipping a mandatory defense against Xander didn’t help his case for being the undisputed King.
Zayas is looking at the division and seeing a guy with a belt, but not necessarily the guy who has beaten the best of the best.
Zayas is jumping in with Jaron “Boots” Ennis on June 27, says everything about where his head is at. If he thought Abass Baraou and Jorge Garcia Perez made him the king, he’d be coasting. By taking on a talent like Ennis, Zayas is essentially saying, “I know I’m not the man yet, but I’m the only one willing to fight the guys who will make me the man.”
The junior middleweight division is arguably the deepest in boxing right now. With guys like Madrimov, Ortiz Jr, Murtazaliev, and Tellez all in the mix, Zayas is being realistic. He is pointing out that Fundora hasn’t done enough to call himself the king. Zayas is also not calling himself the King yet.
For Zayas, those wins over Baraou and Garcia were proof that he belongs in the room, but he knows he needs the “Boots” Ennis pelt on his wall before he can start talking about running the whole division.
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