In the chief support bout on the Robeisy Ramirez-Rafael Espinoza card that took place December 9th on ESPN, junior-middleweight contender Xander Zayas stopped Jorge Fortea (24-4-1, 9 KOs) in the fifth round when he landed a well-placed shot to the body.
Prior to the bout, the 21-year-old Xander Zayas said he wanted to end the year by making a statement. On Saturday night at the Charles F Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Zayas made a statement, and it was loud and clear.
As soon as the bell sounded to officially start the first round, Zayas was looking to impose his will on his opponent as he repeatedly fired a power jab followed by a sharp combination. In the closing seconds of the first round, Zayas scored a knockdown when he landed a vicious left-hand shot to Fortea’s body.
Zayas continued to target Fortea’s body in the opening minute of the second round. In the final minute of the same round, Zayas was in complete control as he consistently landed the right to the head and the left to the body.
Utilizing a high guard, Jorge Fortea landed a solid left-hand shot. Fortea continued to use the high guard for the remainder of the round as he was able to time Zayas and land the one-two combination.
At the beginning of the fourth, Zayas started the round by throwing the jab to the body, and he ended the round by landing a fast, sharp combination. In the fifth round, Zayas continued to work the jab and did an excellent job with his punch placement.
Late in the fifth round, Zayas landed a left to the head, followed by a crushing left to the body that forced Fortea to take a knee. The referee proceeded to take a knee directly in front of Fortea while counting him out.
With the victory, the Puerto Rican boxing phenom Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) closes out the year on a high note. The young star is gradually moving up in the rankings, and he’s hopeful in regards to receiving his chance to fight for a world title in the near future.
The year 2023 has been a very productive year for Xander Zayas as he won three fights within a six-month period. Despite his success in 2023, Zayas has elected to pass on a break as he is already ready for 2024.
During his post-fight interview, Zayas announced that he will be returning to the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden to face Brazilian boxer Patrick Teixeira (33-4, 24 KOs) on February 16, 2024. Back in November 2019, Patrick Teixeira defeated Carlo Adames via unanimous decision and won the WBO interim title.
A month later, Teixeira would get upgraded to full champion after Jaime Munguia moved up to middleweight. Unfortunately for Teixeira, his first title defense turned out to be his last title defense, as he lost to Brian Castano.
Teixeira found himself in a slump as he lost two additional bouts, but recently, he bounced back by posting back-to-back knockout victories. Now, the 33-year-old is ready to continue rebuilding his career by attempting to score the upset against a rising star in the fight game.
The number two ranked WBO contender, Xander Zayas, is a young, talented, and very ambitious fighter who has all the tools.
In 2023, he solidified himself as a Puerto Rican boxing star, and in 2024, it will be interesting to see how far Zayas can elevate his stardom.
