Xander Zaias says he said “Yes” to a fight against Vergil Jr. on February 22nd. Undefeated 154lb contender Zaias (20-0, 12 KOs) claims he was given an hour to decide, and he agreed “in one minute.”
It’s admirable that Zayas agrees to face Vergil, but he’s not ready for this. Zayas doesn’t look like he’d ever be ready to fight a killer like Ortiz Jr., and it has nothing to do with age or experience. Xander lacks the spark to fight an A-level like Vergil or any other top fighter at 154 years old.
What Zayas lacks:
– Strength
– Beard
– Courage
– Experience
Ortiz Jr. vs. Zayas: Done deal?
Zaias, 22, would not say whether his promoters at Top Rank have agreed to fight interim WBC 154lb champion Ortiz. While there would be no weight issues to prevent a fight between Zayas and Vergi, Xander’s age and lack of experience may make Top Rank hesitant to make the fight happen. Until the promoters make it official, you have to be skeptical.
Zaias is not a big blow and looked down average in fights against Damian Sosa, Patrick Teixeira and Alexis Salazar Flores. Xander is ranked #1 WBO, #4 WBC and #5 IBF. Those high positions were awarded to him on the basis of victories over marginal opposition. Going from fighting Sosa and Teixeira to fighting Virgil Orca Jr. would be a huge jump in competition.
Virgil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) needs an opponent for the Riyadh season ticket on February 22nd. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis decided not to fight him. According to Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, the contract said the fight with Ortiz Jr. would be at 147, not 154. He says Boots wants to unify the 147-pound division.
Ortiz Jr. cannot return to 147, a division he hasn’t fought in since 2022, and then deal with the IBF’s 10-pound rehydration limit. He would endanger his health.
Is Zaias ready?
Top Rank was trying to make the Puerto Rican-born Xayas a star the same way they did with New Yorker Edgar Berlang. They were matching Zayas with canned tomatoes to develop him, and he hasn’t shown much promise. This is what you call ‘fake development’ that was done with Xander.
He is not ready to be a fighter like Vergil or any other assassin at 154, and he may never be. He’s another Berlang type in terms of how he’s matched up. Top Rank made Zaias look better than he actually was, and he still didn’t look good. Powerless, brave and timid. He is the opposite of Miguel Cotto.
Virgil Jr. Options
– Bahram Murtazaliyev
– Israel Madrimov
– Serhii Bohachuk: rematch
– Terence Crawford
– Errol Spence
– Charles Conwell
– Erickson Lubin
They gave me an hour to say yes. I said yes in one minute. @VergilOrtiz @trboking @Turki_alalshikh @GoldenBoiBoking https://t.co/cAoVZDSdLG
—Xander Zaias (@XanderZaias) November 30, 2024