Zayas vs. Garcia: Top Rank to Crown New Junior Middleweight Champion at MSG

Saturday, July 26 | Live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+

Top Rank Boxing returns this Saturday, July 26, with a championship doubleheader live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Headlining the event, unbeaten Puerto Rican standout Xander Zayas will face Mexico’s Jorge Garcia for the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight World Title. The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.

At just 21 years old, Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) has emerged as one of boxing’s brightest young stars. A professional since age 17, he has already made seven successful defenses of his NABO title and opened his 2025 campaign with a dominant stoppage over Slawa Spomer. Zayas also holds recent wins over Damian Sosa and former world champion Patrick Teixeira.

Garcia (33-4, 26 KOs) comes into the bout on an impressive eight-fight win streak, including a stunning upset of previously unbeaten U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell this past April. Ranked No. 2 by the WBO, Garcia has shown his power and toughness with knockout wins around the globe, including fights in the Dominican Republic and South Africa.

In the co-feature, rising featherweight contender Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) will look to claim the WBC Interim Featherweight World Title when he faces unbeaten Namibian Mateus Heita (14-0, 9 KOs). Carrington, Brooklyn-born and ranked No. 1 by both the WBC and WBO, has built momentum with four consecutive wins in 2024, including stoppages over Brayan De Gracia and Jose Enrique Vivas.

Heita, fighting out of Namibia, has held the WBO Africa title and recently defended it with a 12-round unanimous decision over South Africa’s Abdulaziz Kunert.

The televised opener features rising junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Fernando Vargas, who returns in an eight-round bout against Ecuador’s Alexander Espinoza. Vargas, one of the most talked-about young fighters in the sport, will look to add another highlight to his growing resume.

The full undercard will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 5:10 p.m. ET / 2:10 p.m. PT. Commentary will be provided by Joe Tessitore, Timothy Bradley Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna.

Additional Coverage:

July 24 on ESPN.com: By the Numbers breakdown of Zayas vs. Garcia and Carrington vs. Heita, powered by CompuBox and ESPN Research, plus betting insights from Ian Parker.