Vergil Ortiz Jr. is interested in moving up to 160 to challenge Erislandy Lara for his WBA middleweight title next rather than defend his WBC interim 154-lb belt against Xander Zayas on February 22nd.
Boxing insider Fernando Sabatini reports that Vergil Jr’s team doesn’t prefer facing the 22-year-old Zayas next. The better option would be to fight the more established fighter Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs), who is coming off an impressive ninth-round stoppage win over former two-division world champion Danny Garcia on September 14th.
Lara Over Zayas
Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) still needs an opponent for the prestigious Riyadh Season card on February 22nd after the Eddie Hearn-promoted fighter Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis chose not to fight him on that card.
Lara arguably should have a 35-1 record rather than 31-3 because his three draws and the defeats against Canelo Alvarez and Paul Williams were controversial. The only true loss on Lara’s resume was a narrow 12-round split decision against a prime Jarrett Hurd on April 7, 2018.
The unbeaten, highly ranked #1 WBO and #4 WBC Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) was reportedly asked, and he said he accepted in “one 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 very little power, and has a defensive style similar to Shakur Stevenson.
It’s not the type of fighting style where Vergil Jr. can shine because he would have to chase Zayas around the ring, dealing with frequent clinches, and it’s a fight that would likely be booed if it were held in the U.S. Moreover, if Vergil destroys Zayas, he’ll receive little credit because he’d have beaten a novice with no experience against world-class opposition.
Eyeing The WBA Title
“I am informed that one idea they have for Vergil Ortiz is that he faces [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 it is not what his team prefers. Nothing is official yet,” said Fernando Sabatini on X about the plans for Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his next fight.
If the fight against Lara didn’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 coming off a 12-round unanimous decision of Jesus Ramos on September 30, 2023.
