Trainer Javiel Centeno nearly quit boxing before Xander Zayas entered his gym.
Now Centeno finds himself part of a fantastic fighting duo, as Zayas, 21-0 (13 KOs) is hoping for a junior middleweight title fight by the end of the year.
Earlier this month, Zayas stopped Slawa Spomer in the ninth round, which served as the co-feature for a Valentine’s Day boxing card at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Becoming Zayas’ coach almost didn’t happen. Centeno was beginning to let his mind wander and think about other things he could put his life toward.
“I was pretty close,” Centeno told BoxingScene about potentially leaving boxing. “I was working with a lot of amateur fighters and, at that point, I had two or three pro fighters. I was at the point where I was an architect by trade and I was thinking about going back into that field.”
Centeno had done both residential and commercial architecture, even taking on projects in Miami’s South Beach. With such a useful skill and his passion wavering in the sport, Centeno had one foot out the door. Then Zayas entered the gym and everything changed.
“Xander walked in and just kind of lit up the entire gym,” Centeno said. “He gave me that fire again. I wanted to be in the gym every day because he was always looking to learn something new every day. I had to make sure I had something to give him – that was something that I needed at that time.”
Zayas, now 22 years old, is a Puerto Rican who trains with Centeno in Florida. Their early work in the gym translated into amateur success, which saw Zayas go on to become the youngest fighter to sign with Top Rank.
Centeno knew early on that Zayas was different from the fighters he had worked with before.
“It was actually the first time I was holding a pad for him,” Centeno said. “It usually takes some time to get adjusted to somebody. But with him, it was special, because it was as if we worked together for months.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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