This urgency makes sense when you first look around the division, where Kelly had already won earlier in the day and several other names were already in the mix. Keeping quiet can turn into being passed over, especially when promoters are already weighing different options.
Zayas has seen how these situations usually go. Unification talk can sound urgent at first, then cool as other battles start to seem easier to make. By speaking out early, he made sure his name stayed in the mix before attention was diverted to something else.
This is not a division where a fight naturally waits its turn. Jaron Ennis is promoted by the same company as Kelly, Matchroom, which keeps that pairing on hand if both sides decide it makes sense. Vergil Ortiz Jr. still carries recognition from fans and broadcasters and has long been treated as a major player. Sebastian Fundora remains part of the picture because of his size, his recent title run and the way his fights tend to unfold.
Tim Tszyu adds another option entirely. His fights bring Australian pay-per-view money into the game, opening up a market not dependent on New York, Puerto Rico or the United Kingdom. Promoters are well aware of that draw, and those numbers can quickly shift plans once they come into focus.
Zayas understands how quickly attention can move. If he doesn’t speak early, someone else is often looked at first, and the conversation can change before he has a chance to retract it. It doesn’t close doors permanently, but it can delay things longer than expected.
Xander is coming off a 12 round win over Abass Baraou. He holds two belts, but not the one that usually drives negotiations. Kelly’s team has already mentioned the idea of a big stadium fight in the UK. None of this rules out Zayas, but it does underscore how open the situation still is.
Zayas immediately called Kelly out to stay near the front of the line. In this department, waiting rarely pays off.
