Vergil Ortiz Jr. is interested in moving up to 160 to challenge Erislandy Lara for his WBA middleweight title next instead of defending his WBC 154lb interim belt against Xander Zayas on February 22.
Boxer Fernando Sabatini reports that Vergil Jr’s team does not prefer to face the 22-year-old Zayas later. The best option would be to fight the more established fighter Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs), who is coming off an impressive ninth-round stoppage victory over former two-division world champion Danny Garcia on the 14 September
Lara Over Zayas
Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) still needs an opponent for the prestigious Riyadh Season card on February 22 after Eddie Hearn-promoted fighter Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis opted not to fight on that card.
Lara should probably have a record of 35-1 rather than 31-3, as his three draws and losses to Canelo Alvarez and Paul Williams were controversial. The only real loss on Lara’s resume was a close 12-round split decision against a top-seeded Jarrett Hurd on April 7, 2018.
The undefeated, highly ranked #1 WBO and #4 WBC Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) was asked, and he said he agreed in “a minute”.
Fighting Zayas would be a no-win match for Vergil Jr., because the Puerto Rican fighter is young, has zero experience, is unknown to fans, has little power, and has a defensive style similar to Shakur Stevenson.
It’s not the kind of fighting style where Vergil Jr. can shine because he would have to chase Zayas around the ring, dealing with frequent clinches, and it is a fight that will probably be booed if it is held in the United States Also, if Vergil destroys. Zayas, will get little credit because he was fighting an inexperienced novice against world class opposition.
Looking at the WBA title
“I am informed that an idea they have for Vergil Ortiz is that he makes (Erislandy) Lara at 160 for the WBA (middleweight title) that the Cuban has. I was also told that a (fight) with Xander Zayas is possible, although he is not what his team prefers. Nothing is official yet,” said Fernando Sabatini X about the plans of Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his next fight.
If the fight against Lara doesn’t happen, Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin would be an excellent alternative. The 29-year-old Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) is ranked #3 IBF and #3 WBA, well-known to boxing fans, and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over Jesus Ramos on September 30, 2023.
