Upon becoming the youngest-ever signee of Top Rank at age 16, Xander Zayas spoke of following the proud Puerto Rico line of heroic world champions Felix Trinidad and Miguel Cotto.
When he ascended to No. 1-rated challenger, he was right there to confront champion Sebastian Fundora to fight.
And now that Zayas, 23, has surpassed Fundora as a unified 154lbs champion, he’s boldly pursuing the highly avoided unbeaten former unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
What has fueled this long unquenchable drive?
“Legacy,” Zayas 23-0 (13 KOs) told BoxingScene Thursday, as he now stands less than a month away from the June 27 DAZN pay-per-view main event versus Philadelphia’s Ennis 35-0 (31 KOs) at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. “And [that] he’s a man just like I am.
He breathes the same oxygen I breathe. Bleeds the same way I bleed. There’s no difference in him and me. I’m not afraid of anybody. The only man I’m scared of is the man upstairs. There’s no one else I fear. Anybody else, they’re going to have to hustle with me.”
Zayas has surprised and impressed his veteran handlers at Top Rank, Hall of Famers Bob Arum and matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler.
They’re adept enough at their jobs to let his profile marinate, to find less risky opposition and allow the fans’ interest to heighten.
Ironically, Zayas said it’s his own increased mastery of patience that has allowed him to press the Top Rank brass to permit his impatient pursuit.
“I’ve been more patient lately, understanding the game, understanding that not everyone’s going to get knocked out in three rounds,” Zayas said in reference to his July 26 unanimous-decision victory to win the WBO title over Mexico’s Jorge Garcia Perez at Madison Square Garden and his January 31 split-decision triumph to take the WBA belt from Germany’s Abass Baraou.
“I’ve got 12 rounds to work. I might have a bad round, but I can make the adjustments and have three great rounds. Understanding there’s a tempo to be set … you want the fighter to start fighting your fight. Once that happens, I take over. And you guys are seeing what I can do in that ring.”
Zayas, too, can feel the advancements, and it’s why he jumped at the chance to fight Ennis after his bout with unbeaten WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr crumbled.
“I feel like I’m growing. I’m getting better. I’m getting stronger. I’m getting sharper. I’m getting smarter. In every sense of the word,” Zayas said.
“Every time I step into the ring, there’s something new you guys are seeing from me – a new angle, combinations, counter-attacks. Defense. I feel like I’ve gotten better from the first day that everyone first saw me on television. Now, at 23, I can stand as a unified world champion confident, knowing I can run through anyone they put in front of me.”
He stopped short of labeling himself invincible.
“I feel nobody can beat me, but I don’t feel anyone is invincible,” he said. “I prepare myself to go to war. I prepare myself to come out victorious and make the adjustments. But invincible is not the word I would use to describe it.”
Zayas made clear the comfort in his own progress matters more than fretting over Ennis, whose skills have been compared to Roy Jones Jnr and whose talent brought curious disinterest from former welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr.
Asked how many full fights he’s reviewed of Ennis, Zayas first said “none,” then amended his response to “two or three.”
“I’ve seen clips of what I need to do and what we’re seeing, but not the whole fight,” he said. “There’s difficulties with every fighter. They all bring something different to the table and ‘Boots’ Ennis is not the exception. He fights righty-lefty, takes good angles. But there’s lots of things I can take advantage of.”
The showdown will make for a great spectacle that includes unbeaten 140lbs contender Emiliano Vargas and unbeaten U.K. light-heavyweight Ben Whitaker on the card.
The fight is the most seminal involving a Puerto Rican since Cotto lost to Canelo Alvarez in 2015.
Zayas and Vargas boxed on Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 halftime show, clinching Zayas’ contention that no stage can ruffle him even at his tender age.
“Just another night at the office,” Zayas said. “I’ve gotta go do what I do best. It’s nothing new to me. I’ve been doing it for so long, since I was 16 years.
“I’ve seen everything I need to see: big crowds, small crowds, the first couple people walking into the venue, the venue all packed out. I’ve done swing bouts before. I know what to expect. I know it’s going to be electric. I know people are going to show up and show love and I’m excited about that.”
He has yet to be deluged by ticket requests from celebrities, but understands what a victory would mean, likely putting him in the frontrunner’s seat for fighter of the year.
“When I win this fight, that will be the goal,” he said.
“I’ve got great speed, great power, good defense. I know how to move. I know how to fight. I know how to counter. I don’t think he’s faced a fighter like that yet.”
Zayas’ pursuit is relentless, of course. He wants to stand as undisputed 154lbs champion.
“If the opportunity presents itself, I would love that,” he said. “Is that going to happen? Are the fighters willing to dance with me? That’s a whole different question. I’ve got to win first. Then we can sit down and talk about what’s next.”
Would Fundora fight him this time around after previously vacating the WBO belt so Zayas could fight for it?
“That’s a question you’ve got to ask him because I don’t know,” Zayas said. “I want to say yeah, but I’m not sure.”
