Xander Zayas will reportedly face undefeated Slawa Spomer in the main support bout in a WBO 154-pound title eliminator on the Keyshawn Davis vs. Keyshawn Davis card. Denys Berinchyk on Valentine's Day, February 14 on ESPN at the Hula Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
A win for the 22-year-old, Puerto Rico-born Xander Zayas would make him mandatory for WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Zayas' promoters, Top Rank, are targeting him to get the WBO belt if it is vacated or if Fundora loses it in 2025 in his next fight. They are trying to turn Zayas into a star as quickly as they are doing with Keyshawn. Matching Zayas against a beatable Spomer is one way to make him look great.
Xander Zayas vs. Slava Spomir
Keith Edick RReports That Zayas vs. Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) is slated for the main support bout on the Davis vs. Berinchyk card.
The 32-year-old German Spomer has fought in almost nowhere in his native Germany against second-tier opposition throughout his six-year career. His opponents were largely unknown, and why the WBO ranked him No. 11 is unclear.
Spomer has an undefeated record, but his opposition was too weak to be taken seriously in this fight. Not that Zayas is a great fighter that Spomer needs to have a lot of experience.
Xander had the same problem, but you can give him an excuse given his age. He's only 22 years old, and his promoter at Top Rank is trying to turn him into a ticket seller in New York like they did with Edgar Berlanga.
Zayas (20-0, 11 KOs) had hoped to fight on the February 22 card in Riyadh after Jaron 'Boots' Ennis turned down a bout against interim WBC junior middleweight champion Virgil Ortiz Jr. However, Israel Madrimov will be Ortiz Jr.'s opponent instead. From Zayas.
In the main event, WBO's No. 1-ranked lightweight contender, Keyshawn Davis (12-0, 8 KOs), will challenge undefeated WBO 135-pound champion Denys Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) on the ESPN card.
