Top Boxing Fights for This Weekend: Edgar Berlanga vs Xander Zayas

Top Boxing Fights for This Weekend: Edgar Berlanga vs Xander Zayas

Last weekend, the boxing world saw a terrific finish to Leigh Wood’s defense of his WBA featherweight belt. Michael Conlan had stacked up points left and right through the early rounds, but Wood came back to deliver a vivid knockout in the 12th round, sending Conlan through the ropes and down off the ring apron on Saturday night. Conlan was treated by medics at the arena and then taken to a local hospital, and he has recovered fully and tweeted about his desire for a rematch. What will happen this weekend in the sweet science? Read on for a preview of the next few days as you consider your Boxing betting options.

Boxing Events for the Weekend

The most intriguing card for the weekend will take place on Saturday at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Top Rank card will feature super middleweight Edgar Berlanga and junior middleweight Xander Zayas. Both are unbeaten, and both look to continue their rise this weekend.

Edgar Berlanga
was the runner-up at the USA Boxing Junior Olympic National Championships in 2013 and turned pro at 18; today, he is 24. He started a knockout streak after turning pro, knocking out his opponent in the first round in 16 straight fights, a stat that received considerable attention when he joined Top Rank in 2019. This streak finally ended in April 2021, when Demond Nicholson lasted all eight rounds with him.

Berlanga brings solid power in both hands, particularly with a straight right hand or a lead left hook. Over 42 percent of his power punches land, according to ESPN Stats & Information; the division average is about 34 percent. In his last fight, against Marcelo Coceres, he did show some weaknesses. Coceres knocked Berlanga down, the frist time that has happened in his pro boxing career. Of Coceres’ 101 total punches, 70 were power shots. Berlanga still has a perfect 18-0 record, and he is approaching contender status as a super middleweight. He faces Steve Rolls this weekend, and Rolls only has one pro loss – against Gennadiy Golovkin, the one-time middleweight champion.

Xander Zayas
hails from Puerto Rico and started boxing at the age of five. He came to Florida at the age of 11 and has won the USA Boxing National Championship twice. Zayas would have represented the United States in boxing at the 2020 Olympics, but he opted to sign a pro deal with Top Rank at the age of 16, the youngest ever to join the company. With a record of 12-0 (9 KO), he has sped up since the start of the pandemic, with eight fights since March 2020.

Zayas throws 73.6 punches per round, according to CompuBox, which is 17 more than the division average. He connects on power punches at a 43% clip, which is considered elite. Trainer Luis Espada, who has trained other Puerto Rican champs and contenders, points to Zayas’ maturity as a reason for his future success.

Zayas is set to fight Quincy LaVallais on Saturday in the first eight-round tilt. However, four of Zayas’ last five fights have stopped before the fifth round due to stoppage. ESPN has named Zayas the 2021 prospect of the year, and I expect that rising trend to continue in Saturday’s fight.


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