Xander Zayas vs Jorge Garcia Preview July 26th, 2025
The vacant WBO Junior Middleweight Title is on the line this Saturday, July 26th as unbeaten prospect Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico is set to battle Mexico’s Jorge Garcia. The 12-round fight from the Theater at New York City’s Madison Square Garden can be seen on the ESPN and ESPN + platform in America. Zayas last fought on Valentine’s Day when he stopped Slawa Spomer in the ninth round to defend his NABA, and WBO NABO Super Welterweight Belts. Garcia’s last outing resulted in a 12-round split decision over Charles Conwell in April.
Zayas vs Garcia Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jorge Garcia +275
- Xander Zayas -375
My Pick
Zayas fights out of Sunrise, Florida and is just 22 years old. He’s boxed 100 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 following his amateur career and carries around a perfect mark of 21-0 with 13 Ko’s which gives him a current knockout ratio of 61.9 per cent. He’s stopped six of his last 12 opponents but has gone the distance in two of his past three bouts. Zayas measures 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 74-inch reach which sees him enter the ring two inches shorter than Garcia. As an amateur Zayas had over 130 fights from 2007 to 2018 and captured 11 national championship events including the 2018 U.S. Youth National Championships.
He won the vacant WBO NABO Super Welterweight Title in August, 2022 when he stopped Elias Espadas in the fifth round after dropping him in the opening stanza. Zayas then added the vacant NABF Title four months later with an eight-round unanimous decision over Alexis Salazar Flores. He has defended both belts against Ronald Cruz, Roberto Valenzuela, Jorge Fortea, Patrick Teixeira, Damian Sosa and Slawa Spomer. However he’s yet to face a legitimate world-class contender. But perhaps that’s expected of a 22 year old.
The 28-year-old Garcia climbs through the ropes with a mark of 33-4 with 26 Ko’s and has 184 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut back in 2013 as a teenager. He stands six-feet tall with an unlisted reach and has plenty of power in his punches as 78.8 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. He’s gone the distance in his last three fights though and in three of his past six. Garcia possesses a solid chin as he’s never been stopped in 37 pro fights.
His first defeat came at the hands of Josue Obando by six-round split decision in 2018 and he dropped an eight-round split decision to Abraham Juarez Ramirez a year later. He then lost a 10-round unanimous nod to Carlos Ocampo in 2020 and his last defeat came in 2023 via a 10-round split decision to Etoundi Michel William. Garcia won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Jr Middleweight Title in 2023 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Cruz Johnson and added the vacant IBO Inter-Continental version the next year when he stopped Roarke Knapp in the third round. He also has wins over Kudratillo Abdukakhorov, Jorge Paez Jr, Hector and Andres Reyes.
Prediction…
Garcia has the edge in height and power but although he’s stopped a lot of his opponents and always has a puncher’s chance, just 23 of his 37 foes entered the ring with a winning record. Still, he’s a solid boxer with a good chin and plenty of pro experience. Zayas is on his way up the rankings and is expected to someday become a world champion and that could be as soon as this weekend. He has all the tools to succeed but may not be the most exciting boxer out there. Still, he should be able to get past Garcia as long as he’s prepared to work hard for the victory.
Zayas has the edge in pure boxing skills.
Play: Zayas -375 @ BetOnline.ag
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Jorge Garcia betting • Xander Zayas betting