Virgil Ortiz Jr. is interested in moving up to 160 to challenge Erislandi Lara for his WBA middleweight title instead of defending his interim WBC 154 lb belt against Xander Zayas on February 22nd.
Boxing insider Fernando Sabatini reports that Vergil Jr.’s team does not want to face the 22-year-old Zaias next. A better option would be to fight the more established fighter Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs), who is coming off an impressive ninth round victory over former two-division world champion Danny Garcia on September 14th.
Lara Over Zaias
Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) still needs an opponent on the prestigious Riyadh Season card on February 22 after Eddie Hearn-promoted fighter Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis decided not to fight him on the card.
Lara should probably be 35-1 instead of 31-3 because his three draws and losses to Canelo Alvarez and Paul Williams were controversial. The only real loss on Lara’s resume was a close 12-round split decision against Prime Minister Jarrett Hurd on April 7, 2018.
Undefeated, highly ranked #1 WBO and #4 WBC Xander Zaias (20-0, 12 KOs) was reportedly asked, and he said he accepted in “one minute”.
A fight with Zayas would be a no win match for Vergil Jr. because the Puerto Rican fighter is young, has no experience, is unknown to the fans, has very little power and has a defensive style similar to Shakur Stevenson.
It’s not the type of fighting style in which Vergil Jr. he can shine because he would have to chase Zayas around the ring, dealing with frequent clinches, and it’s a fight that would probably be booed if it took place in the U.S. Moreover, if Vergil destroys Zayas, he will get some credit because he would beat an inexperienced rookie against world class opposition.
View the VBA title
“I’m informed that one idea they have for Virgil Ortiz is for him to face (Erislandi) Lara at 160 for the WBA (middleweight title) held by the Cuban. I’m also told that a (fight) with Xander Zayas is possible, although that’s not what his team prefers. “Nothing is official yet,” said Fernando Sabatini Ks on plans for Virgil Ortiz Jr. for his next fight.
If the Lara fight didn’t happen, Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin would be a great alternative. The 29-year-old Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) is ranked No. 3 in the IBF and No. 3 in the WBA rankings, well known to boxing fans, and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over Jesus Ramos on September 30, 2023.
