Is Xander Zayas, legitimate? Or, is he a Top Rank "creation" who will be the latest prospect turned contender to disappoint?
On Saturday, we find out.
Xander Zayas vs Jorge Garcia Odds
| Zayas Odds | -450 |
| Garcia Odds | +320 |
| Over/Under | 10.5 (-300 / +210) |
| Location | New York, NY |
| Bout Time | Approx. 11 p.m. ET |
| How To Watch | DAZN |
Odds via DraftKings as of Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) has long been seen as a future face of Puerto Rican boxing since Top Rank signed him at 16-years old. He's been on ESPN+ and mainline ESPN seemingly ever since. And now, in what could be Top Rank's final card with the four-letter network, Zayas is main eventing against a little known — but highly dangerous challenger — who earned his spot with an upset win earlier this year.
Jorge Garcia Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) is not an "opponent" — he's a contender. He legitimately earned this shot at the vacant WBO Super Welterweight title by beating the favored and undefeated Charles Conwell by decision in April. Conwell had been calling out Zayas on Twitter, but didn't hold up his end of the deal, otherwise, he could've been right here.
We'll never know what would've happened if he won, and maybe one day he'll get Zayas — or a Garcia rematch. But for now, this is about Zayas. This is the spot. Your promotional company, ESPN's platform, your first shot at a title, it's in New York City — the biggest contingent of Puerto Ricans away from Puerto Rico — and you're the betting favorite.
Garcia has a size advantage here, albeit slightly. He's 6-feet tall, while Zayas stands at 5-foot-10, though both have a 74-inch reach.
When Zayas made his debut at 16, he initially competed as a welterweight — 147 pounds — where he won his first nine bouts, seven by stoppage. Zayas moved to 154-pounds two years into his career, giving him four years of comfort at the weight, where he's gone 12-0 with six KOs.
Garcia, 28, made his debut in 2013 at 16-years old at 132 pounds, quickly moving to welterweight, but not making his 154-pound debut until 2017 at 8-0. Even then, he went back down for multiple brief welterweight stints before settling in the weight at 22-years old in 2019.
In 2020, Garcia — then 18-2 — suffered a loss to Carlos Ocampo, a multiple-time contender who had been knocked out in the first round against Errol Spence Jr. two years prior.
Garcia is a volume puncher with legitimate pop. He favors the left hook to the body and mixes up his punches, throwing head and body combinations.
Zayas has it all, except for seemingly one-punch power, which is where most of the skepticism around his rise comes from. Zayas is still growing into who he'll be — he only turns 23 in September — but he also hasn't knocked off a ton of top-flight challengers en route to this opportunity.
What he has done is dominate those in front of him. Slawa Spomer was ranked, and Patrick Teixeira is a former world champion, and Zayas essentially swept both. Zayas hasn't fought a murderers row of 154-pounders, but good luck finding a round he's lost convincingly.
As for Garcia, his win over Conwell is the best between both guys, but the idea of Conwell might've been scarier than who he actually was in hindsight.
Zayas vs Garcia Pick
- Xander Zayas by decision on DraftKings (-125)
Zayas vs Garcia Prediction
I think Zayas wins a convincing, yet not necessarily dominating decision. Garcia will test him with volume and body work. Zayas is also a skilled body puncher, and can outland Garcia using his speed and conditioning. In terms of volume, in his last fight, he landed at least 20 or more punches in every single round against Spomer. Garcia could be hit fairly easily. Zayas isn't Pernell Whitaker defensively, but he's better than Garcia and is improving in that regard, as shown in recent bouts.
Zayas by decision at -125 on DraftKings is the best number out there. I think Garcia is a supremely live 'dog though, if Zayas can't deal with the body punching or simply can't live on the inside against his 6-foot foe.
