Xander Zayas delivered a dominant unanimous choice victory over Damian Sosa on Friday at The Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis.
All three judges scored the bout 100-90 in favor of Zayas.
Zayas, 22, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, took management from the opening spherical. Sosa, 27, of Tijuana, Mexico, normally identified for his pressure-fighting model, surprisingly fought off his again foot. Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs), returning to the identical venue the place he headlined earlier this 12 months, dictated the tempo with sharp, clear punches. By the second spherical, Zayas’ accuracy and willingness to trade had been on full show, slowing Sosa’s assault.
Sosa (25-3, 12 KOs) tried to mount extra offense within the third spherical, however Zayas was exact together with his left hook, and he continued to land clear photographs whereas Sosa pushed ahead sporadically. The fourth spherical noticed Zayas flip the struggle right into a showcase of his technical expertise, leaving Sosa struggling to land something important as he remained on the defensive.
Within the fifth, Zayas’ dominance continued. Whereas Sosa had minor success towards the top of the spherical, it wasn’t sufficient to change the momentum. By the sixth, Zayas focused Sosa’s physique, touchdown highly effective photographs that energized the New York crowd, which cheered because the blows landed.
Sosa, coming off a win towards prospect Marques Valle in his earlier struggle, discovered himself outclassed, as Zayas remained one step forward. By the eighth spherical, Zayas was absolutely in management, with Sosa providing little greater than his trademark toughness. Zayas continued to outwork Sosa, touchdown eye-catching mixtures that highlighted his offensive selection.
Within the remaining rounds, Zayas made what was billed as a troublesome check appear to be a tune-up, outclassing Sosa and leaving little doubt about who was the higher fighter on this night.
Zayas now faces the query of what’s subsequent. He has surpassed the prospect section, however the junior middleweight division is stacked with expertise (Vergil Ortiz Jr., Tim Tszyu and now Terence Crawford, for starters). Zayas will possible intention for higher-level opposition within the coming 12 months as he inches nearer to a world title alternative.
Notably, 4 of Zayas’ previous six wins, courting again to December 2022, have come through unanimous choice, exhibiting his capability to constantly management fights at a excessive stage.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America and writer of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (obtainable on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.
