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Tradition of Puerto Rico And Boxing At The Garden

Image Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

NEW YORK — A tradition continues this weekend in New York City with the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade and Top Rank boxing at Madison Square Garden Saturday evening. With the exception of the Pandemic year, Top Rank has always highlighted more than one prospect from Puerto Rico.

Boxing Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto, the first and only four-division champion from Puerto Rico, a Top Rank mainstay for years, highlighted the card in the main event an evening before the Sunday parade and Cotto sold out the main arena.

Cotto will be at ringside Saturday night. He will watch Xander Zayas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) (15-0, 10 KO’s) oppose Ronald “Diablo” Cruz (18-2-1, 12 KO’s) in an eight-round co-feature junior middleweight bout that will be televised on ESPN.

It will be an evening for Puerto Rican pride. When Zayas and Cruz finish their encounter in the Garden Hulu Theatre, the Miguel Cotto Award will be presented to the winner.

Cotto will present the award. Zayas, of course anticipates his latest opportunity fighting before his fans, many from New York and Puerto Rico that have followed the 20-year old prospect who signed a Top Rank promotional deal at the age of 16.

“This is the first time that I will fight during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend,” Zayas said Thursday afternoon. I’m excited for this one. It’s awesome to see all these different cultures come together and bring an excellent show to MSG and to New York. I’m ready to put on a show for all of my Puerto Rican fans Saturday night.”

The Theatre, adjacent to the Garden main arena, will sellout, though, 5,500 does not compare to the 19,000 that Cotto witnessed during his illustrious championship fights in the main arena. Regardless, Bob Arum the Hall of Fame promoter, envisions Zayas being that next boxing superstar from Puerto Rico who will headline and sellout the Garden main arena.

“We are taking it slow with Xander as we did with Cotto and Félix Trinidad,” Arum said. “The fights will come.”

And so will the sellouts. There was Cotto, then Hall of Famer Félix Trinidad, another of the Puerto Rican superstars that Arum and Top Rank have developed slowly and surely to champions. The scenario is no different with Zayas, who has the criteria to be the next superstar champion from Puerto Rico.

Zayas could not fight on the annual card last June. He succumbed to an illness that curtailed his training and plans to continue that rise to stardom Zayas was disappointed, apologized to Top Rank, and his fans.

He won three fights last year, including a tough 10-round unanimous decision win in December. That fight was in the Garden main arena prior to Teófimo López winning a controversial main event and 10-round unanimous decision over Sandor Martin.

López, the Honduras native residing in Las Vegas, (18-1, 13 KO’s) opposes undefeated junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor (19-0, 13 KO’s) for the WBO title in the 12-round main event, a seven fight card that includes a diversity of upcoming fighters from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Poland, and the United States.

The ESPN+-streamed undercard (5:15 p.m ET/2:15 p.m. PT) includes lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs) and rising junior lightweight Henry Lebrón (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico) (17-0, 10 KOs) in 10-rounders. Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Omar Rosario (Caguas) (10-0, 3 KOs) steps up against Jan Carlos Rivera (Vieques) (8-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round Puerto Rico vs. Puerto Rico showdown.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Omar Rosario speaks during the press conference ahead of his June 10 super lightweight fight against Jan Carlos Rivera, at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden on June 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Zayas, though, does not want to be compared to Trinidad or Cotto. He has established his brief legacy and fighting on Puerto Rican weekend in New York City has been a goal since he put on the gloves as a youngster at gyms in San Juan and other vicinities of Puerto Rico.

Then, Zayas admired what Cotto accomplished at the Garden. Trinidad was before his time, though he has met the Hall of Famer many times in San Juan and both talk about history, strategy, and fame that comes with being a champion.

There are plans for Zayas, this won’t be his lone fight of the year. Pending no obstacles, he intends to win Saturday night and continue his journey to be that next boxing superstar from Puerto Rico under the Top Rank banner. He was supposed to fight Cruz last year, a fight that was canceled due to his illness.

Now Zayas gets his opportunity at the Garden in New York City.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Xander Zayas (L) and Ronald Cruz (R) pose during the press conference prior to their June 10 super welterweight fight at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden on June 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“He is motivated,” Zayas said about Cruz. “ He’s been waiting for this opportunity his whole life. So, I expect him to come out and try to put on a show. When the fight got postponed, we contacted Top Rank and said that this is the opponent we wanted to fight. They allowed me to do that, and now here we are. I’m excited to showcase what we have been working on.”

LÓPEZ CONTINUES HIS TAKEOVER: And this could be that defining fight for Teófimo López, the former unified lightweight champion who lost the titles to George Kambosos Jr. at the Garden in November of 2021.

Since then, López has moved on to his other takeover in quest of unifying the junior welterweight titles. Taylor has a piece of those titles and there is that bitter and nasty feud between the two fighters.

At the final press conference Thursday, Top Rank spent over $5,000 dollars for extra security to assure there would not be a brawl on the podium. The two were apart and did not do a traditional faceoff, and the same will occur at the weigh-in Friday afternoon at the Garden.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Josh Taylor (L) and Teofimo Lopez (R) face-off during the press conference prior to their June 10 WBO junior welterweight championship fight at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden on June 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

López will have to stay outside and throw more punches. His last fight against Martin in the Garden was not one of his best efforts, his third at 140 that ended in a controversial 10-round decision that López said he commandedly won. Taylor can fight well inside and throw the right combinations.

Nevertheless, this is the main event and a highlight fight on the boxing calendar.

Comments from López: “What is ‘The Takeover’ if he doesn’t take over the guys that are the kingpins of the division? So, when it comes to Josh Taylor and the junior welterweights, he is the guy. That’s the guy that you have to beat to be the greatest. That’s what we aim for all the time.”

“I worked my a** off. Eleven weeks of camp. This is going to be the best version of me. Practice makes improvement. We’ve improved since my last fight. We’re ready to put on a show. I’m going to be a two-time lineal world champion.”

“I’m excited about this. This is like a dream come true. What more can you really shoot for? Nobody has really called out Josh Taylor. Who knows why? Maybe because he beat everyone already. But I’m here. I’m here to come in there and take everything that you’ve got.”

Rich Mancuso senior writer Latinosports.com Twitter @Ring786 Facebook,com/Rich Mancuso

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