Xander Zayas Vs. Jorge Garcia Results, Full Fight Card Results

Xander Zayas is the youngest world champion in boxing. The 22-year-old boxed circles around Jorge Garcia on Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden and captured the vacant WBO junior middleweight championship. Zayas prevailed via unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 119-109, and 118-110 in a one-sided fight fit for the Puerto Rican superstar’s championship coronation.

The fight wasn’t as close as the 116-112 card indicated as Garcia mostly swung wildly through the fight, though he did land the occasional body shot. No harm done—the right fighter won.

The crowd was electric and packed with proud Puerto Ricans there to cheer on their next boxing sensation. Zayas acknowledged them, his mom, and fans who have supported him through the journey to championship level.

Here is a look at the CompuBox numbers.

The ultimate moment in the fight came in the ninth when Zayas landed a nasty one-two combination that appeared to wobble Garcia. It was the closest the tough Mexican came to being stopped, but it also served as the final stamp of Zayas’ dominance on the night. There was no controversy here—just a young fighter putting it all together under the lights in New York City.

After the fight, reaction across the boxing world came quick. Top Rank Boxing, Zayas’ promoter that signed him to a historic deal when he was just 16, captured the moment in this post:

Future Hall-of-Famer Terence Crawford sent congratulations Zayas’ way.

Long-time boxing fan and Hollywood legend Rosie Perez took to X to congratulate Zayas as well.

After the fight, Zayas had a lot to say about his country and what he’d like next. “It was amazing. It’s amazing to be here and to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level. And to just put the pride of my island where it belongs, at the top.”

Zayas also called for a unification fight with WBC champion Sebastian Fundora or IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Full Card Results

• Xander Zayas UD-12 Jorge Garcia (116-112, 118-110, 119-109)
• Bruce Carrington UD-12 Mateus Heita (119-109, 119-109, 120-108)
• Emiliano Vargas KO-1 Alexander Espinoza (0:42)

Garcia didn’t get an opportunity to speak on the ESPN broadcast. However, he made a solid account of himself. He never quit, but he was outmatched by superior hand speed, defensive instincts, and punch accuracy. He’ll get another opportunity to have a meaningful fight at 154 pounds, but on Saturday, he was beat by a better fighter.

Zayas says he will be ready to fight in December, so we’ll see who he gets. He turns 23 in September and because of his frame, it’ll be interesting to see how long he chooses to stay at 154 pounds. It’ll also be fun to watch how big of a role he plays at the forefront of Top Rank Boxing as the promotion transitions to another network.

Because of Zayas’ youth and built-in fanbase, you’d think he is one of the more valuable fighters on their roster.