Vergil Ortiz Jr. is interested in moving up to 160 to challenge Erislandi Lara for the WBA welterweight title rather than defending the WBC interim 154-pound belt against Xander Zayas on February 22.
Boxing insider Fernando Sabatini reports that Virgil Jr.’s team would prefer not to face the 22-year-old Zayas. A better option would be to fight veteran Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs), who is coming off an impressive ninth-round stoppage over former two-division world champion Danny Garcia on September 14th.
Lara over Zayas
Virgil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) still needs an opponent for the prestigious Riyadh Season card on February 22, after Eddie Hearn’s promoted fighter Jayron ‘Boots’ Ennis opted not to fight on the card.
Perhaps Lara should have a record of 35-1, not 31-3, as his three draws and losses to Canelo Alvarez and Paul Williams were controversial. The only real loss on Lara’s resume was a narrow 12-round split decision against Prime Minister Jarrett Hurd on April 7, 2018.
Undefeated, highly ranked WBO #1 and WBC #4 Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) is said to have been asked, and he said he accepted in “one minute”.
A fight with Zayas would be a no-win for Virgil Jr. as the Puerto Rican fighter is young, has zero experience, is unknown to the fans, has very little power and has a defensive style similar to Shakur Stevenson.
It’s not the type of fighting style that Virgil Jr. can shine, as he has to chase Zayas around the ring and deal with frequent clinches, and it’s a fight that would likely be booed if it were held in the US. Also, if Vergil is destroyed by Zayas, he will get little credit because he was a rookie with no experience against world-class opposition.
With an eye on the WBA title
“I’ve been told that one of their ideas for Virgil Ortiz is that he’ll face (Erisland) Lara at 160 for the WBA (middleweight title), which the Cuban holds. I’ve also been told that ( fight) with Xander Zayas is possible, although it is not what his team prefers. Nothing is official yet,” said Fernando Sabatini X on Virgil Ortiz Jr.’s plans for his next fight.
If the Lara fight didn’t happen, Erickson ‘The Hammer’ Lubin would be a great alternative. The 29-year-old Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) is ranked #3 in the IBF and #3 in the WBA as known to boxing fans, and is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over Jesus Ramos on September 30, 2023.
