In the co-main of Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis, junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) scored a ninth-round TKO over Slawa Spomer (20-1, 11 KOs) at the Madison Square Garden Theater. Zayas is now one step closer to getting the long-desired title shot, which may come later this year.
GIVE HIM HIS SHOT 😤@XanderZayas is COMING FOR EVERYBODY. pic.twitter.com/SvK6btAzb3
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 15, 2025
Zayas came out sharp in the opening round as he changed the levels of his punches while doing an up and under, followed by a left hook to the head. A looping left hook by Zayas landed on the nose of Spomer, leading to blood immediately trickling down. Spomer seemed surprised by Zayas’ offense.
Spomer came back in the second round and hit Zayas with a two-punch combination that got his attention quickly. Zayas tightened up his defense and went right back to what was working for him, which was all led by the left jab. Zayas would return the favor in the third round by landing some clean combinations and putting a ton of pressure on Spomer. Although Zayas was seeing success, Spomer landed some hard right hands in spots that forced Zayas to reset.
The fourth round was interesting, to say the least. Zayas was pouring it on, and just when you thought he might be able to finish Spomer, the German junior middleweight hit Zayas with a huge right hand that rocked the Puerto Rican fighter. Luckily for Zayas, only a few seconds remained in the round, and he made it out without any further damage.
In the fifth round, Zayas regained momentum and used his left jab to set up the overhand right and left hook to the body. Spomer could not make any adjustments throughout the round. Rounds six through eight were all Zayas as he kept pounding the body and landing overhand rights. Spomer was getting beat up and was only able to land a punch at a time, so he found himself trying to cover up most of the rounds.
Zayas began the ninth round like he had most of the fight which was with a left hook to the body. During the middle of the round, Zayas hit Spomer with a crushing left hook to the body that nearly folded him. Zayas then went right back to the body until the referee jumped in to call a halt to the fight.
Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Connor Coyle Results In A Majority Draw
Nothing but respect after ten rounds 🤝 pic.twitter.com/nv9StdcEXb
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 15, 2025
This was the first fight for Vito Mielnicki Jr. (20-1-1, 12 KOs) at middleweight, and although he appeared stronger at the new weight class, Connor Coyle (21-0-1, 9 KOs) did not come to lay down. The fight had good back-and-forth action, but Mielnicki was able to land the cleaner, more effective punches throughout the second half of the fight. When the scorecards were read (96-94 Mielnicki, 95-95 x 2), it was no surprise that two of the judges had it, even making the fight a majority draw.
Juanmita Lopez De Jesus Scores A Huge First Round KO
FATHER LIKE SON.
JUANMITA JUST FROZE HIM IN ONE 🥶 pic.twitter.com/71iiLID9E8
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 15, 2025
It didn’t take too much time (59 seconds) for Juanmita Lopez De Jesus (1-0, 1 KO) to finish Bryan Santiago (1-2-1)as he produced a first-round, one-punch knockout. Lopez showed impressive punch speed, and when he landed, it was clear that he also possessed power. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and Juanmita Lopez now has his first win as a pro, and something tells me there will be more highlight reel knockouts in his future.
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