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Speaker 1: Well, it is my great pleasure to welcome back to

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our podcast.

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Speaker 2: This week it is Xander Zias.

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Speaker 1: Xander, We've done this before, but this one's a little

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bit different. We'll tell the folks we've talked about your

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fights before, but this time you're getting ready for I

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think we can agree with your biggest fight of your

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career so far. You'll be taking on for Hey Garcia

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for the vacant WBO Junior Middleweight world title. It will

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take place July twenty sixth, headlining the ESPN top ranked

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card at the Madison Square Guarded Theater, a place you're

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very familiar with. So tell me just first off, again,

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you've been doing interviews getting ready for this fight. It's

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a little bit different, isn't it as you think about

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what might be in store for you.

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Speaker 2: On that night.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, so if you I mean, it is a

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bit different because obviously, like you said, is the biggest

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fight of my career, fighting for a world title, something

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that I've been working for since I'm literally five years old,

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since I've started boxing. You know, that's the dream of

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every fighter to become a world champion, and I have

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my opportunity on July twenty six But in the other sense,

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it's for me, it's just another fight, another night at

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the garden. I've been there before. There's going to be

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my eighth time, so nothing new. I got to go

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in there, do my job, say focus, maybe a judgments,

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and then come out victorious.

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Speaker 1: Well, when you signed with Top Rank, and I remember

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being at the press conference, you were sixteen years old.

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They were like, look, he's sixteen, but he's not even

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going to turn professional until he's seventeen. You've done your part,

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your team has done its part. Top Rank has done

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its part. You're now twenty two years old. You're undefeated,

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You've looked good, You've climbed up the ladder, You've fought

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who you have to fight, You've got all kinds of

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experience now and now here we are five years later,

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you're getting ready to fight for a Germandawait world title.

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So and then doing it a place like the Madison

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Square Garden Theater that I know is important to you.

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If I said to you on that day at the

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press conference at age sixteen, hey, five years from now,

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you're fighting for the world title at the Madison Square

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Garden Theater. You're undefeated and you're headlining, you know, a

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big card. How would you have reacted? What would you

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have said?

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Speaker 3: Well, maybe if you put it that way five years ago,

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I would have said, yes, I will be fighting for

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a world champion in five years, but probably not at

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Madison Square Garden. You know, never thought it was going

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to be in at the theater or you know, with

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the circumstances that are happening, you know.

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Speaker 2: Headlining the last card on ESPN.

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Speaker 3: You know, a lot of things are happening that maybe

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I didn't expect five years ago. But I knew that

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if I stayed the course and if I stay focused,

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I was going to be fighting for a world tider

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sooner than later.

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Speaker 1: So I remember, Xander, in one of our previous interviews,

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we did it and you sat in front of a

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looked like a bookshelf and you had your regional titles

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stack and we kind of chatted a little bit about that,

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and you mentioned to me, you know these are important

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to me. I've worked for them. There they are a

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way to tell me that I'm making my way up

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the ladder, but I want the big boy belts. Yes,

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now you're one fight from winning and getting the Big

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Boy Belt or one of the big Boy belts. How

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does that feel knowing that you can now have that

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if you win to put in that beautiful bookshelf for

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those other nice title belts.

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Speaker 2: No, it feels amazing.

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Speaker 3: And right now the background is not the same because

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I'm in my camp house for the first time in

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my career. I moved to to a camp house, so

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I got the nutritionist, all the sparring partners here, so

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we all.

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Speaker 2: Living together for this camp. But yes, really exciting.

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Speaker 3: Like I told you before, something that I've worked for

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my whole life.

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Speaker 2: You know before the world titles is the regional belts.

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I got those. Now I have to.

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Speaker 3: Add the big boy belts like you said, and then

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the WBO is the first one.

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Speaker 2: So really exciting.

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Speaker 3: And just happy to be to be in this place,

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in this position at twenty two years old.

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Speaker 1: Well, let's talk a little about your opponent for Hey Garcia.

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He is thirty three four thirty three and four with

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twenty six knockouts. He has won eight fights in a row.

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He's coming off by far and away, the biggest win

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of his career. He scored that split decision victory in

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a really good performance. He deserved that split decision. At

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least in my estimation against the unbeating the Olympian United

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States olymp Charles Conwell, Uh, you know, to put him

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in the position within the WBO ratings, and I wonder, like,

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how do you approach him. He's on a hot streak,

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he's got confidence off that victory Xaner. He's got more

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knockouts twenty six than you have professional fights, which is

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twenty one. H he seems like he's got momentum and

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a lot going for him the same way that you do.

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Speaker 2: No, I'm obviously exciting.

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Speaker 3: He like you said, he did serviced his his victory

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against Cornwall, he did service shot out of world title.

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And it's crazy because a year ago we were sitting

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down looking at the rankings and my dad we have

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a conversation that I think I have to say I

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have to look for it. But he sent me a

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screenshot and I think I was number eight and Horygard

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ship Preys was like either nine or or or eleven

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or something like that. And he told me this is

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who you're going to be fighting for the world title.

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And I'm like, there's no way, like this kid, like,

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how is it going to be possible? I mean, at

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that time, I think Tim Zu is still the WO

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champ and you know, a lot of things were happening,

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so I didn't I didn't really realize what was going

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on at the time, but my dad told me that.

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And now that we sit back and we look at it,

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it's like, look, I told you twenty twenty five, you

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will be fighting for the world title against god Ship Press.

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Speaker 2: He said. He actually said he was gonna be in

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the Puerto Rican Prede. Obviously Puerto Rican Praide didn't.

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Speaker 3: Happen, but same guy, same city, same place. So it's exciting.

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You know, I've been, I've been. We've been watching him

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and getting prepared for him because we knew at some

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point we're going to be fighting him, either for the

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world title for just another fight.

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Speaker 1: Maybe your dad can give me the lottery numbers given

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his willians there.

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Speaker 2: That's what That's what I told him. How about you

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give me the lottery numbers. Maybe you know we could

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we could be rich before having to fight for the titles.

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Speaker 1: Well, you might get a chance to be rich if

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you keep on winning like uh yes, sir, boxers do.

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Before this fight between yourself and Garcia was made Sebastian

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Vandora was the WBO and the WBC champion. Uh, you

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were his WBO mandatory challenger. You attended his fight earlier

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this year in March, when he knocked out Cordel Booker.

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You got in the ring with him, not in a

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confrontational manner. Obviously you were allowed to be in there.

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You guys took photos together. Both of you talked up

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the prospect of fighting each other. You were the mandatory

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was due. They ordered the fight top rank and his

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people at PBC and TGB, your promotions, everybody was talking

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about it. Sam Selukawis, They were trying to make the match.

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I thought it was going to happen, and then suddenly

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he swerves and ends up taking the rematch against him

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Zo from their fight from when he when he won

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the title against him and the vacant WBC title, And

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I'm just wondering, like what that happened?

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Speaker 2: There?

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Speaker 1: Were you disappointed that then happen. I think a lot

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of people were sort of really interested at that, and

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then the Garcia if I just sort of materialized kind

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of out of nowhere.

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Speaker 2: No, for sure, it was.

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Speaker 3: It was disappointing. It was frustrating. At the beginning, because

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like you said, you know, I went to his fight.

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I earned my spot as the as a number one

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contender to to fight him. When there, we talked to

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each other. It was it was supposed it was supposed

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to be or it was supposed to happen. We we

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had conversation. We went back and forth for a couple

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of weeks. Then a couple of days before the negotiation

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period was over, they called us and said, hey, this

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is what we're gonna do. So obviously frustrated, I feel like,

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you know, it's part of business, it's part of our boxing.

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Maybe he had a better, better opportunity against Tim Zoo.

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Speaker 2: I wanted to fight him.

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Speaker 3: I wanted to to take both of his belts, but

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I guess he didn't.

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Speaker 2: He didn't want that. He didn't want to, He didn't

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want to do that.

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Speaker 3: He wanted to fight for for the w b C

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and then and you know, take part on on another

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rematch against Tim Zu which was a great fight the

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first one. So can't be mad at him. I feel

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like it's it's business and and done the future. It's

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something that we can make happen.

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Speaker 1: So you don't look at this as oh you know

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he's ducking me or this, or that, you're realistic enough

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to understand that the Zoo fight from the from the

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financial perspective, probably even from the public interest perspective, it's

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a little bit. It's bigger than him and you.

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Speaker 2: I guess, no, for sure.

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Speaker 3: For sure, I feel like, you know, you have to

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be mature enough to understand that the business side of boxing,

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and and I feel like I did that.

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Speaker 2: Obviously, wasn't happy about it.

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Speaker 3: I wanted to fight against the champion, but I know

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that when it happens and if he comes out, Victorias

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against him, Zoo and I have to talk about Victoria's

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against jug Garcia Perez is going to be even bigger fight.

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Speaker 1: We mentioned earlier about how you're going to be fighting

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once again at the Madison Square Garden theater. This will

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be your eighth fight at Madison Square Guarden, either in

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the main arena or in the theater. It'll be your

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fourth fight in a row in the theater. I mean,

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you've really become sort of synonymous with that venue in

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terms of their their boxing program. They've got a few

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guys that fight there. But you know, Xander's Eyes is

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a regular there. Tell me what it means to you

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to be in a place like that. Obviously there's a

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lot of Puerto Rican fans will be there for you.

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That's why top rank puts you there in the first place,

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because of the type of draw you can bring in.

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What does that what does that building mean to you?

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And how comfortable are you fighting there?

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Speaker 3: Man, I'm really really comfortable fighting there. I feel like

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now I don't even have to show ID. I just

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walk in and they already know me. So so it's amazing.

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It's amazing to be fighting again and in the Mecal Boxing,

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a place that brings or has brought a lot of

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legendary fights and a lot of gender legendary fighters to

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to to become champions and fights there. So to be

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able to fight for a world title at twenty two

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years of age in the city that never sleeps, in

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a venue with such historical moments in the sport, it

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means it means the world to me.

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Speaker 2: So I'm excited for for this one.

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Speaker 1: Well, don't forget the idea. We don't need any snaff

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foos on fight night, so make sure you got the

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ID hand of your credential all that well, sir, The

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other aspect of this fight, of course, we have to

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discuss a little bit is as we've discussed, you are

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a Puerto Rican fighter, your opponent, Jorgey Garcia, is from Mexico.

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We all know that is one of the great rivalries

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in boxing history, and I wonder from your perspective, how

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significant is it to you to not only partake in

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a fight in that rivalry, but to do so, you know,

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in a main event, world championship fight, which is, you know,

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in a lot of people's minds, the greatest rivalry in boxing.

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Speaker 3: Yes, like you said, I feel like it is the

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greatest rivalry in boxing. And to be able to take

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part in one of those fights, a championship fight against

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a good Mexican warrior, somebody that is gonna is gonna

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come put pressure and gonna come try to take everything

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away from me means a lot. Means the world to

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me because you know, going back to you know, in

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the history of boxing and watching all those wars between

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Puerto Rico and Mexico's always exciting for all the fans,

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and just to be able to be a part of

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that part of history means the world to me.

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Speaker 1: So if you win, you won't be the youngest Jimmy

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middleweight champion in history. For Ando Vargas was twenty one

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years old when he won the jum middleweight title. But

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you'll be one of the youngest if you are victorious.

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But you'll also join a list of great Puerto Rican

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champions that have come before you. You know, some of

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the legends of all time. You got you know, fighters

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I've watched the millions of times, will Fredo Gomez and

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Benitez and Tito Trinidad, Miguel Coto, i'vn Calderon, I mean,

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Luis ORTIZI go on for like a week talking about

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the greats that come from your island. When you think

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about that, those names and the fact that obviously you're

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not at their level, at least not yet, but that

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you can join them as being a world champion, that's

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that's like a really big deal. I think for anybody

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that keeped in the Puerto Rican boxing culture.

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Speaker 3: I get goose bumps. I get gouz bump just from

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from thinking about it. Obviously something that I want to do.

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I want to bring glorid to Puerto Rico. I want

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to stat my name, you know, next to all those

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great legends from Puerto Rico and be a world champion.

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Speaker 2: I'm just make my people proud.

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Speaker 3: And make my family, my team proud, and overall make

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myself proud.

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Speaker 1: Now, if you are victorious, and we've discussed a little

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bit like Fondora you mentioned in Tim Zoo and others,

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but you have a real year in a really good

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weight class. Like I look at the champions besides yourself

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and some of the other top contenders and guys with

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interim belts. It's in my estimation, it's it's may not

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have huge star power in terms of the names, but

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there's a lot of guys that are really solid that

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can beat probably anybody on any different in that division

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I'm talking about. Besides Zoo and Fondora, you got Martaz

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de Leev, tough as nails with the IBF title. There's

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a Virgil Ortiz and Johannes Tayaz, they have interim titles.

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Jeron Bhutsen has just announced that he's leaving welterweight to

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move up and wait, there's Keith thurmanis still kicking around.

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He had a good performance in his recent fight boa

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Chuck Majimov. I mean Azuzramos ericson Lubin. You're Florida compatriot.

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We could go on and not tell me about your

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thoughts on the depth of your division, the fact if

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you have a title, these are guys that are gonna

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be hunting.

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Speaker 2: You for sure.

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Speaker 3: I feel like it's the hottest, the hoddest division in

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boxing right now. He got great, great names in the division,

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like you said, a lot of names that can't beat

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anybody on any given night. But once I become a

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world champion, there's snow escaping. Now there's snow. Oh, but

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he hasn't done this. No, but he hasn't done that.

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Speaker 2: Now they got to fight. Everybody's gonna get it.

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Speaker 1: How is Louise arm Louise? How is Garcia gonna get

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it in this fight?

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Speaker 2: Man? Garcia is?

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Speaker 3: I expect the best Garcia press to show up that night,

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but he got to expect the signersiders that has done

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everybody anybody has seen I mean something special.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to put my name on the top of

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the list.

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Speaker 3: I'm going to show the world in the division why

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I'm one of the best at one hundred and fifty

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four pounds, and.

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Speaker 2: They're going to see a next level type of fighter.

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Speaker 1: Come to like twenty six I'm looking forward to seeing

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the culmination, having followed your career from day one at

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age sixteen at a press conference. Here we are five

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years later as you get ready to fight for the

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world titles. So Xander, I wish you luck, genuinely. I

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appreciate your time, Dan, thank you.

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Speaker 2: Very much for your time.

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Speaker 3: Thank you once again for it for another interview, another

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you know, great great uh again.

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Speaker 2: Article uh an interview. So hopefully I'll see you in

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New York.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate that'saner.

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Speaker 2: Good luck to you man, but thank you