Boxing

Xander Zayas vs Jorge Garcia Results: Zayas Wins WBO Title In Final Top Rank-ESPN Fight Card

A new world champion is crowned at 154 lbs, plus prospects continue to raise their stock on the final Top Rank card on ESPN.
Johan Alyas Blanco|
Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

It's an end of an era for Top Rank Boxing. An emotional night as the promotion caps off its partnership with ESPN with arguably the best showcase of their prospects and a new world champion is crowned.

Xander Zayas Becomes Youngest World Champion in Boxing Today

Xander Zayas
Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

In the battle of the illustrious Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry, Puerto Rico came out on top this time.

At 22-years-old, Xander Zayas fulfills a childhood dream, beating Jorge Garcia Perez by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO junior middleweight champion. The judges scored the bout 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109. Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) becomes the youngest current world champion in boxing.

This fight was a high-paced back-and-forth encounter, with Zayas' technical prowess combatting Garcia's unorthodox and heavy hitting style. But in the end, technique prevailed. From the start, Zayas fought behind the jab, using good movement to stay out of punching range for Garcia (33-5, 26 KOs). And as Garcia started throwing with a sense of urgency, the Puerto Rican's head movement was just on point.

An overall boxing masterclass in Zayas' first 12 round fight. And now he's finally world champion. Top Rank has done wonders building up Zayas' career. From being the youngest ever signing in the promotion to being world champion on the last ESPN card, Zayas is now one of the top boxers at 154 lbs.

Bruce Carrington vs Mateus Heita

Bruce Carrington (right) landed a hard right hook on Mateus Heita.
Bruce Carrington (right) landed a hard right hook on Mateus Heita. | Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Bruce Carrington made sure to bring the "Shu-Shu Show", beating Mateus Heita by unanimous decision. Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs) pitched a shutdown, 119-109 (x2) and 120-108, and now becomes the interim WBC featherweight champion.

Accuracy was the name of the game for "Shu Shu", who landed 42% of his punches in this fight. The jab was effective, the punch selection was as polished, and the overall package of his game was there. And with Heita being such a strong yet awkward boxer, Carrington made sure his timing and movement created tons of openings.

Carrington is currently the No. 7 ranked featherweight according to Ring Magazine. With this win, a world title fight is all but next. There's plenty of options for him, as there are four world champions at 126 lbs. While all of them would be incredible matchups, a fight between "Shu Shu" and WBO champion Rafael Espinoza would be the most intriguing. Whatever is next, the "Shu Shu Show" is bound to fight for gold in the future.

Emiliano Fernando Vargas vs Alexander Espinoza

Emiliano Vargas
Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Also on the card, the young, undefeated phenom Emiliano Vargas made quick work Saturday, knocking out Alexander Espinoza in the first round. Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) took less than a minute to get the job done, catching his opponent with a pull counter and that was all she wrote.

The 21-year-old is rising rapidly up the super-lightweight ranks. And with his father, former two-time middleweight champion Fernando Vargas in his corner, the youngest son has the chance to be one of the stars in boxing. And Vargas has made it clear that's what he intends to do.

"Top 15 in the world, 15-0… I’m coming for all the belts!”
Vargas post-fight after his win

Rohan Polanco vs Quinton Randall

Earlier in the night, Rohan Polanco stays unbeaten, defeating Quinton Randall by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 97-93, 100-90, and 99-91. It was a complete masterclass from the Dominican welterweight, who used his volume, and elite positioning to pick Randall apart. Randall, who has never been finished to this point, was fighting defensively towards the end of the bout, as Polanco (17-0, 10 KOs) did everything in his power to get the finish.

With this win, the 26-year-old puts himself in prime position for a title shot at 147lbs. WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. is set to fight Devin Haney in Nov., while WBC champion Mario Barrios is coming off a draw against 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao. But with Jaron "Boots" Ennis potentially moving up to junior middleweight, there's a chance that "El Rayo" may be fighting for a vacant IBF or WBA title in the near future.

Here are the rest of the results of the Zayas vs Garcia undercard.

Juanma Lopez De Jesus vs Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez

Juanmita Lopez DeJesus dominates as he stops Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez in the second round. At only 19-years-old, DeJesus (3-0, 2 KOs) is showing a lot of flair, quality and well rounded game. The Puerto Rican is the son of former two-division champion Juan Manuel Lopez, and fought for Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Yan Carlos Santana Guerrero vs Aaron Alameda

Yan Santana continues the Dominican Republic's dominance in boxing, beating Aaron Alameda by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout a shutout, 100-90 (x3). This was Santana's (15-0, 12 KOs) most experience opponent to date, and he made it look easy. And with the featherweight division being wide open, it will be interesting where the 25-year-old fits in.

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Johan Alyas Blanco
JOHAN ALYAS BLANCO

Johan Alyas Blanco is a writer for KO On SI. Before joining in March 2025, he worked as a News Producer in Tallahassee and Orlando. He also works for several fight promotions in boxing and MMA, working on social media content. When he’s not writing, Alyas covers boxing on his own YouTube channel, The Split Decision. Blanco has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from UCF, with a minor in sports business management. Alyas has interviewed several big names in combat sports, including Jorge Masvidal, Edgar Berlanga and Brian Norman Jr. His goal is to bring boxing back to prominence.

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