Vergil Ortiz Jr. is interested in moving up to 160 to challenge Erislandy Lara for his WBA middleweight title next rather than defending his WBC 154-pound interim belt against Xander Zayas on Feb. 22.
Boxing insider Fernando Sabatini reports that Vergil Jr’s team does not choose to face the 22-year-old Zayas next. The 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 about Zayas
Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) is still short of an opponent for the prestigious Riyadh Season card on February 22 after Eddie Hearn-promoted fighter Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis opted not to fight him on that card.
Lara should probably have a record of 35-1 rather than 31-3 because his three draws and the losses to Canelo Alvarez and Paul Williams were controversial. The only true loss on Lara’s resume was a close 12-round split decision against an excellent Jarrett Hurd on April 7, 2018.
The undefeated, highly ranked #1 WBO and #4 WBC Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) was reportedly asked, and he said he accepted in “one minute”.
Fighting Zayas will be a no-win matchup for Vergil Jr. as the Puerto Rican fighter is young, has no experience, is unknown to fans, has very little power, and has a defensive style similar to Shakur Stevenson .
This is not the type of fighting style where Vergil Jr. cannot shine as he will have to chase Zayas around the ring, with frequent clinches, and this is a fight that would likely be booed if held in the US. Furthermore, if Vergil destroys Zayas, he will get little credit because he would have beaten a rookie with no experience against world class opposition.
Look at the WBA title
“I was informed that one idea they have for Vergil Ortiz is for him to face (Erislandy) Lara at 160 for the WBA (middleweight title) that the Cuban holds. I’ve also been told that a (fight) with Xander Zayas is possible, although it’s not what his team prefers. Nothing is official yet,” said Fernando Sabatini X about the plans for Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his next fight.
If the fight against Lara didn’t happen, Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin would be an excellent alternative. The 29-year-old Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) is ranked #3 IBF and #3 WBA, well known to boxing fans, coming off a 12-round unanimous decision of Jesus Ramos on September 30, 2023.
