Xander Zayas: "I'm Determined to Position Myself as a Top Contender!"

Zayas will take on Spain's Jorge Fortea in a 10-round battle on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Zayas-Fortea will serve as the co-feature in the WBO featherweight world title showdown between reigning champ Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez and unbeaten Mexican contender Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza.

Ramirez-Espinoza and Zayas-Fortea will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Zayas (17-0, 11 KOs) signed with Top Rank at 16 and has been on the path to superstardom ever since his pro debut in October 2019. In his fifth year as a pro, he is already inching closer to a title shot in the competitive 154-pound division. He notched an eight-round unanimous decision over Ronald Cruz during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend in June and a fifth-round TKO against the hard-hitting Roberto Valenzuela Jr. in September. Fortea (24-3-1, 9 KOs), a 13-year pro from Spain, is riding a three-bout winning streak.

Following a recent training session, this is what Zayas had to say:

"We are counting down the days to fight night! I can't wait for the bell to ring on December 9 in South Florida. I dedicate this fight to all my Boricuas from the 'Island of Enchantment' and the 'Puerto Rican Diaspora' who I know will tune in to my fight that night on ESPN."

"I am determined to close the year with a bang and to continue positioning myself as one of the main contenders at junior middleweight. In the new year, I'm aiming to continuing my climb up the ranks step by step. That is why I push myself to give my all every day in the gym. You will see a better version of me every time I fight."

"I am grateful for the support of the fans. I am also very happy to share the card with a great friend whom I respect a lot like "El Tren" from Cuba, Robeisy Ramírez. We are already close to a sold out venue, and we are ready to bring joy to our people. We're coming to put on a great Latin party between Cubans and Puerto Ricans."

Stevenson becomes 3-weight champ, beats De Los Santos in a snoozer

There is a difference between fighting scared and fighting the style of hitting without getting hit.

Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) made sure that he would not get hit as much by those punches coming from the hard-hitting Edwin De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) to the point of not hitting as much on De Los Santos either for their lightweight fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday night, resulting to a limited action that failed to tickle fans' excitement.

Although Stevenson tried to press forward in the second half of the fight to somehow ignite excitement in the seemingly disappointed crowd of around 6,703 who attended the event. De Los Santos on the other hand tried to lure Shakur to commit further and somehow fight on the back foot.

It was like a dance of "Cha-Cha" actually. When the other goes forward, the other goes backward.

De Los Santos pressed the action early, but Stevenson did not engage and kept the distance. In the second half, as Stevenson tried to press a little bit forward, De Los Santos was the one keeping the distance luring Stevenson to commit further for possible counters.

The scorecards read 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112 all in favor of Stevenson for the unanimous decision victory. 

Stevenson said, "I had a bad performance tonight. That’s all I’m really focused on. I wasn’t feeling too good, so I’ll live with it. It’s okay. I came here and got the victory, and that’s all I wanted to do.

I doubt if the paying fans would agree that "it's okay". Anyway, what he wanted to do was victory. But hey remember that the fans wanted to be entertained.

Well, I expect Stevenson to give boxing fans a more entertaining fight moving on to the next fight as a three-weight class champion. And I'd rather see him fight again at the 126 or 130-pound division as he has the confidence to risk getting hit a little bit in order to hit more in the process.

It's Official, Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk on 17 Feb 2024, KSA

Tyson Fury returns to Saudi Arabia’s capital to fight Usyk to crown the division’s first undisputed champion since 1999.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Nov. 16, 2023) — Boxing’s two heavyweight world champions will finally meet to crown the one and only undisputed champion of the world.

WBC and Lineal Champion Tyson ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury will fight WBO/IBF/WBA unified champ Oleksandr Usyk in a history-making showdown on Saturday, February 17, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner will become boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Britain’s Lennox Lewis claimed that honor 24 years ago, but this time four belts are on the line.

‘Ring of Fire’, the biggest fight in world boxing, will take place as part of Riyadh Season, one of the world’s largest winter entertainment events organized by Riyadh Season, and will be presented to fans worldwide. Fury kicked off Riyadh Season on Saturday, October 28, when he defeated lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou by split decision.

Ahead of the blockbuster ‘Ring of Fire’ fight, Fury and Usyk came face-to-face at a press conference held in London on Thursday, November 16.

“Usyk, you can run, but The Gypsy King is coming to get you. This is my era, and your time is up. Your undefeated record AND your belts, they will be mine!” Fury said. “Thank you to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for bringing this undisputed title fight to the beautiful Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I had an amazing time here when I fought Ngannou, and I am ready to do it again. This time, The Gypsy King will return to England as the undisputed heavyweight king.”

“I have no goal,” said Usyk. “Only the way. And my way is ‘The Undisputed.’ That is why this was the only fight for me. When that bell rings, I will bring the fire.”

“Since our first Riyadh Season in 2019, the Season has developed a reputation for hosting the biggest events and they do not come much bigger than the undisputed heavyweight title fight,” said His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. “This is history in the making, a fight the world has waited for. Now it is a reality, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is excited to be hosting this era-defining fight. This will be a global spectacle and we will do everything to ensure that everyone has an experience that matches an event of this magnitude.”

“The relationship between Riyadh Season and the sport of boxing will reach unparalleled new levels on February 17, when it stages the first undisputed heavyweight fight for 24 years” said Frank Warren of Queensberry. “Tyson Fury taking on Oleksandr Usyk is simply the biggest fight that can be made in boxing and is what the world wants to see. And we take this opportunity to thank His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for his blessed vision which is achieving great accomplishments. We also thank His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season for making it happen.”

“Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the best heavyweights of their era, and this undisputed battle in the beautiful city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, promises to be a sensational fight and a history-making event,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Fury is an all-time great heavyweight champion, but you can never count out Usyk, a former Olympic champion who has already conquered two weight divisions.”

“The world has finally got it!” Usyk’s manager Alex Krassyuk said. “Proud of Usyk, respect to Tyson. Let the best man win and we celebrate Usyk’s second undisputed!”

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) has been the reigning heavyweight champion since November 2015. Taking a break from boxing due to personal challenges, Fury made an impressive comeback by defeating Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC world title in their rematch and sealing their trilogy with a knockout victory in 2021.

Ukraine’s Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), an Olympic gold medalist, decided to move up from the cruiserweight division to the heavyweight division after establishing his dominance there. He caused an upset by defeating Anthony Joshua and becoming the unified heavyweight champion. Usyk successfully defended his titles against Joshua in a rematch. Now, he sets his sights on becoming only the second cruiserweight champion ever to achieve undisputed status in the heavyweight division.

Naoya Inoue vs Marlon Tapales Weekly Updates

All the blog posts leading up to the fight of  Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales for the undisputed junior featherweight championship fight will be under this thread. 

Jose Sanchez vs. Walter Santibañes on Dec 14

INDIO, CALIF. (November 7, 2023) - In the last scheduled fight of 2023, Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN will close out the year at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino with an action-packed main event featuring local, Cathedral City native and WBC Super Bantamweight Continental Latino Titleholder Jose “Tito” Sanchez (11-0, 7 KOs) participating in a 10-round match against Phoenix, Arizona’s Walter Santibañes (12-2, 2 KOs). The fight night is presented in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

Tickets for Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN: Sanchez vs. Santibañes go on sale Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 10:00 am PT and are priced at $65, $55, $45, and $35 plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased at FantasySpringsResort.com or GoldenBoyPromotions.com.

Media interested in a credential for the fight must fill out a credential application by Monday, December 11. To apply, please visit https://forms.gle/vaSdYpDctQ4cNXRw5.

Hailing from Cathedral City, the undefeated Jose “Tito” Sanchez has been on the fast track to becoming a world champion. Trained by world-renowned coach Joel Diaz in Indio, he was last seen in Puerto Rico securing the WBC Super Bantamweight Continental Latino title via third-round technical knockout against Carlos Caraballo this past July 12.

“I would like to thank my promoter Miguel Cotto and Golden Boy Promotions for another big opportunity that benefits my career. Honestly, it’s been a very long time since I’ve actually fought in my hometown, but I am thrilled,” said Jose “Tito” Sanchez. “It’s an honor to be fighting at Fantasy Springs Casino and a great way to end the year. Now, I’ve seen what my opponent Walter Santibañes does out in that ring, but I also hope he’s seen what I can bring to the table. From what I can tell now, it’s gonna be a great fight and I hope he’s ready for me.”

Walter Santibañes was last seen inside the ring in June, where he put on a dramatic performance and defeated the hometown fighter Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores. Accustomed to his underdog status, he will be looking to steal the crowd yet again against Sanchez.

“Thank you to Golden Boy for this opportunity,” said Walter Santibañes. “The last time I was in the B-corner as the main event, I walked out of the ring with an upset victory. I plan to do it again.”