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.
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Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, features, schedules, rankings and more.