Zayas vs. Garcia

Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Garcia Perez: Zayas wins by UD.

Bruce Carrington vs. Mateus Heita: Carrington wins by UD.

Emiliano Vargas vs. Alexander Espinoza: Vargas wins by KO in the 1st round.

Rohan Polanco vs. Quinton Randall: Polanco wins by UD.

Juanmita Lopez De Jesus vs. Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez: De Jesus wins by TKO in the 2nd round.

Yan Santana vs. Aaron Alameda: Santana wins by UD.

Steven Navarro vs. Cristopher Rios: Navarro wins by UD.

Julius Ballo vs. Brandan Ayala: Ballo wins by UD.

Six years after turning pro as a baby-faced 17-year-old, Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) finally gets his coronation shot. The 22-year-old Puerto Rican sensation will battle red-hot spoiler Jorge Garcia (33-4, 26 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior-middleweight title in the same Garden theater where Miguel Cotto began his New York takeover two decades ago.

Zayas’ rise has been methodical: seven straight NABO defenses, shut-outs of Damian Sosa and ex-champ Patrick Teixeira, and February’s brutal nine-round dismissal of German puncher Slawa Spomer. Trainer Javiel Centeno says the game plan against Garcia “mixes Cotto’s body work with Tito’s aggression”—but the stakes are clear: win, and Zayas becomes Puerto Rico’s youngest male champion since Cotto; lose, and the island waits again.

Watch the press conference highlights: Watch

Garcia, though, is no gatekeeper. The 29-year-old from Aguascalientes has ripped off eight victories in 23 months, each nastier than the last, culminating in April’s split-decision stunner over unbeaten Olympian Charles Conwell. A rangy switch-hitter with a looping overhand right, Garcia relishes hostile territory—he’s iced opponents in the Dominican Republic and South Africa and vows Manhattan will be “just another road stop.” His 26 knockouts hint that Zayas’ chin will be tested early and often; his confidence suggests Conwell was no fluke. “Mexico will have a new champion,” Garcia warned. “He’s TV-ready, but I’m belt-ready.”

Before the junior-middleweights settle matters, the featherweight division inches toward clarity as Brooklyn’s Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) meets unbeaten Namibian Mateus Heita (14-0, 9 KOs) for the WBC interim belt. Carrington has pleaded for big names after wrecking veterans Bernard Torres, Jose Enrique Vivas and Dana Coolwell, yet champions keep swiping left. A slick counterpuncher with sudden power, he’s banking on a statement to force titles into his path. Heita, a tall, disciplined boxer-puncher and WBO Africa titlist, believes Carrington is all hype: “There’s nothing special about him - just another step toward greatness.” Both men insist a definitive win delivers a mandatory crack at Rey Vargas or Luis Lopez before year’s end.

Watch the heated face-off: Watch

Stylistically, it could steal the show. Carrington prefers mid-range angles and punches in bunches; Heita fights behind a long jab, then drops thudding rights when opponents overcommit. Whoever solves the range equation first likely pockets the green belt—and instantly becomes one of boxing’s most marketable coasts-to-coast attractions.

The televised opener features knockout-machine Emiliano Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs) versus rugged Alexander Espinoza (20-3-1, 9 KOs), while ESPN+ streamers will catch Juanmita López De Jesús and U.S. amateur phenom Julius “JuJu” Ballo.

Fight card:

▪️Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Garcia Perez, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO super welterweight title
▪️Bruce Carrington vs. Mateus Heita, 12 rounds, for the interim WBC featherweight title
▪️Emiliano Vargas vs. Alexander Espinoza, 8 rounds, super lightweight

Prelims:

▪️Rohan Polanco vs. Quinton Randall, 10 rounds, for Polanco’s WBO Intercontinental welterweight title
▪️Juanmita Lopez De Jesus vs. Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez, 4 rounds, super flyweight
▪️Yan Santana vs. Aaron Alameda, 10 rounds, for the vacant NABO featherweight title
▪️Steven Navarro vs. Cristopher Rios, 8 rounds, for Navarro’s NABF junior bantamweight title
▪️Julius Ballo vs. Brandan Ayala, 4 rounds, featherweight