Back in June 2005, Miguel Cotto successfully defended his title in the inaugural Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend boxing event, and 19 years later, junior-middleweight contender Xander Zayas followed in his idol’s footsteps by headlining the event and scoring a unanimous decision victory over Patrick Teixeira.
Zayas dreamed about headlining the Puerto Rican Day Weekend event since he was 5-years-old, and the dream became a reality on the night of June 8th. Patrick Teixeira was a step up fight for Zayas as Teixeira is a former WBO junior-middleweight champion.
In the opening round of the contest, Zayas targeted the body, and once he got inside, he landed a sharp uppercut. In the second and third rounds, Zayas set the tone as he changed levels and landed solid shots to the head and body of Teixeira.
Zayas was extremely active as he pressed forward and forced the southpaw Teixeira to fight off the back foot. In the eighth round Zayas was on the attack as he hit Teixeira with a barrage of punches. The crowd was sensing the knockout, but the veteran Teixeira was able to survive the round.
Xander Zayas had a wounded opponent in front of him for the final two rounds, as Teixeira went into survival mode by utilizing some swift lateral movement. At the conclusion of the 10-round contest, Zayas earned a unanimous decision victory.
With the win, Xander Zayas remained undefeated as he improved to (19-0, 12 KOs) and Patrick Teixeira fell to (34-5, 25 KOs). As the 21-year-old Zayas continues to build momentum, some are starting to wonder, is Xander Zayas the heir to the Puerto Rican boxing throne?
During the course of several boxing eras, Puerto Rican fans were accustomed to having an elite fighter who was known as the face of Puerto Rican boxing. They had fighters such as, Carlos Ortiz, Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez, Hector Camacho, Felix Trinidad, and the before mentioned Miguel Cotto.
Now the Puerto Rican boxing fans are looking to support that particular boxer who is ready to carry the torch.The fanbase is looking for that boxer, that when his fights are aired, everyone is inside watching it on television.
Currently, no one has stepped up to fill that role for this era, but Xander Zayas is gradually becoming the leading candidate for the prestigious position. Zayas has the boxing skills, the fighting style, and the charisma that’s required to fill the vacancy.
Xander Zayas is trending in the right direction, but he still needs a signature win in order to secure the top spot with the Puerto Rican fanbase.
Zayas understands that the position he’s attempting to fill comes with responsibilities. However, he’s up to the challenge, and he believes he will get there as long as he stays focused and keeps winning.
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