“If you can dream it, you can do it,” begins one of Eladio Carrión’s most viral songs. The song was released in 2022 and has a boxer as the protagonist. Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KO) inspired the singer at that time. The two Puerto Ricans connected quickly and although Zayas was only a promise at that time, the artist did not doubt his abilities. The lyrics capture what the boxer has achieved. The unthinkable from a very young age.
Zayas became the youngest boxer to sign with Top Rank. Boxing promoters are increasingly looking at smaller talent, but this one in particular is not used to those signings. It was different with Xander. Bob Arum, a veteran promoter who was one of the founders of the company in 1973, decided to bet on a 16-year-old Puerto Rican boy. He saw a potential talent and did not hesitate. He couldn’t turn professional, but Arum didn’t care. There was wood. “I’ve never seen it as pressure. It’s security. They believed in me when I was 16 years old. They have seen my growth and guided me in it. I went from being a boy to a man with them. He gives me confidence and reaffirms his intention to see me grow until I become a world champion,” says the boxer in an interview with Relevo.
The boxer has been burning stages with his team, which has meant that at only 21 years old (22 in September) he is already in line for world titles. That objective is beginning to be seen, especially after his last two victories before the limit (the last, against the Spanish Jorge Fortea). “My feelings have been unbeatable. I am more developed and I have been able to reflect that in the ring with two level victories.“, he points out. It was time to take a new step forward and, once again, the promoter Top Rank has not hesitated. This Saturday they will give him his first star. It will be at Madison Square Garden (in the theater) and he will face a former world champion such as Patrick Teixeira (34-4, 25 KO) for the first time.
“It’s a huge motivation, but it gives me zero pressure. I really want to be able to face Teixeira. He is a complicated boxer, but the higher level my rivals are having, the better performances I am able to do. “When they want to box I can look better,” says Zayas, who enjoys a calmness and confidence unbecoming of a 21-year-old boxer. The Puerto Rican expects “a war,” but is “ready for whatever comes.”YesIf you want to be the best you have to face the best“, Add.
His mind is on Teixeira, but he is aware that his division is red hot and he can be one of the reference names. “I think that the super welterweight, with everything that has happened right now, is one of the most beautiful divisions today. My idea, if everything goes well, is to be able to compete in the World Cup against Sebastián Fundora, or whoever is the WBO champion, at the end of 2023,” he predicts. To do so, he must beat Teixeira, which would also make him a reference in his country. There are many slabs on top, but he dodges them masterfully: “I am not the one who should be placed in any ranking. It is the fans and the experts who must do it. My job is to fulfill and continue winning”, concludes the undefeated man. His path is dreamed of and he believes that he can achieve it, he just has to believe… and he does.
