Having been nurtured from phenom, young fighter to unified world champ at 154 lb., Xander Zayas has decided to stay with Top Rank Boxing on a multi-year extension.
Puerto Rican boxing standout Xander Zayas, who first drew attention as a teenage prodigy, has grown into one of the sport’s brightest champions holding two of the 154 lb. world titles. And, he’s choosing to continue that rise with the promotion that has backed him from the beginning.
Zayas, 23-0, 13 KOs, has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Top Rank Boxing, ensuring that the youngest current unified two-belt titleholder in the sport remains aligned with the promotional company as he approaches the most significant fight of his career.
At just 23 years old, Zayas is already preparing to defend his WBO/WBA junior middleweight world titles against former unified welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots" Ennis. The highly anticipated bout is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, in Brooklyn, New York, and will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Zayas expressed gratitude for the continued partnership with Top Rank in their statement released Monday afternoon,
“I'm blessed to continue representing Puerto Rico at the highest level of the sport with Top Rank,” said Zayas. “Thank you for all these years and for giving me the opportunity to grow and bring glory to my country and family. Now it's time to keep collecting victories and championships for many more years with the Top Rank family.”
Top Rank President Todd duBoef reflected on Zayas’ journey from being signed at jsut 16 years old to being one of their most prominent fighters,
“Xander’s path is a testament to Top Rank’s ability to develop talent the right way,” said Peter Kahn, Zayas’ manager. “We signed with them when he was just 16, and they’ve done a great job guiding him into a unified world champion. They also understand the Latino audience better than any promoter in boxing. Extending this partnership was the right strategic move as we now focus on more unifications, multiple divisions, global events, and defining Xander as one of the faces of the sport while building a lasting legacy at the highest level.”
After Zayas signed on with Top Rank in March 2019, he steadily climbed the ranks, at welterweight and eventually, junior middleweight earning regional titles in 2022 and in June 2024 securing the top spot in the WBO rankings with a decision win over former world champ Patrick Teixeira .
In July 2025, he captured the WBO world championship with 12 round decision over Jorge Garcia in New York just weeks before turning 23. He followed that milestone with another historic achievement, unifying titles in his first defense in his home country of Puerto Rico against WBA champ Abass Baraou also by decision.
He became the first Puerto Rican to accomplish that feat on home soil.
Now, with the Ennis fight on tap this Summer, Zayas is clearly up against the toughest fight of his career, but he also knows that his short term future of fights has a plan and the backing of the well known Top Rank.