Xander Zayas and Jorge Garcia will clash for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs), ESPN’s eighth-ranked junior middleweight, looks to keep his unblemished record intact in his first bout since February. The 22-year-old San Juan, Puerto Rico, native stopped a then-unbeaten Slawa Spomer in the ninth round in the same venue.
The upset-minded Garcia (33-4, 26 KOs) will mark Zayas’ first shot at a world championship. Garcia enters the showdown on an eight-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old’s last defeat came in a split decision against Etoundi Michel William in January 2023.
In the co-feature, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) and Mateus Heita (14-0, 9 KOs) will face off in a 12-round matchup of unbeatens for the WBC interim featherweight title.
Also on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Zayas vs. Garcia fight card:
Rising junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (14-0, 12 KOs), the youngest son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, takes on Alexander Espinoza (20-3-1, 9 KOs) in a bout scheduled for eight rounds.
Welterweights Rohan Polanco (16-0, 10 KOs) and Quinton Randall (15-2-1, 3 KOs) square up for 10 rounds.
Yan Carlos Santana-Guerrero (14-0, 12 KOs) faces Aaron Alameda (30-2, 17 KOs) in a 10-round pairing of featherweights.
Steven Navarro (6-0, 5 KOs) and Cristopher Rios (11-2, 7 KOs) meet in an eight-round tussle of junior bantamweights.
Junior bantamweights Juanma Lopez De Jesus (2-0, 1 KO) and Jorge Gonzalez-Sanchez (5-2, 4 KOs) duel for four rounds.
Julius Ballo makes his professional debut against Brandan Ayala (2-0, 1 KO) in a four-round test between featherweights.
Where can I watch the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Zayas vs. Garcia fight card?
Coverage begins Saturday, July 26, with prelims at 5:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+. The main card is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+.
Additional prefight coverage:
Thursday, July 24
Top Rank Boxing: Zayas vs. Garcia news conference — 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+
Friday, July 25
Top Rank Boxing: Zayas vs. Garcia weigh-in — 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+
Fans can catch all the action in the Top Rank Boxing streaming hub.
How can fans access more boxing content from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, features, schedules, rankings and more.
