Zayas vs Teixeira Predictions: Biggest test yet for Xander
Unbeaten rising star Xander Zayas gets the toughest test of his career as he faces Patrick Teixeira on Saturday, June 8. Sky Sports Action will televise the bout, which emanates from the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
Here are my Zayas vs Teixeira predictions ahead of a meeting of world-ranked super welterweights.
This bout means a tremendous amount to Zayas. It will serve as the start of Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend, a celebration that takes place annually in Manhattan. Top Rank began pairing the event with boxing during Miguel Cotto’s peak and the great boxing country has now anointed Zayas as its national fistic hope.
At the age of just 21, Zayas has done a phenomenal job of living up to that pressure so far. Already 18-0 with 11 knockouts on his ledger, the young boxer now takes on his greatest challenge so far.
Patrick Teixeira is a former world champion, beating Carlos Adames for the interim WBO title in 2019 before seeing the belt upgraded to full status. Considering the fact Adames is currently the WBC champion up at middleweight, this is a very good win indeed.
Teixeira was never quite able to build on this upset victory. He lost his next three, albeit one came via disqualification for landing an illegal rabbit punch on Paul Valenzeula. The other two losses, both on points, came against leading lights Brian Castano and Magomed Kurbanov. Losses they might have been, but they came facing the very best.
Teixeira has pulled the nose up on that run of form, with three wins from his last three fights. The trio of victories all took place in his native Brazil, a hometown reset as the 33-year-old tries to fight his way back into contention.
The plan has worked. Teixeira will be acutely aware that an upset victory over Zayas will put him right back in the mix at 154 pounds. The Brazilian will also know that the unbeaten prospect has never fought anyone with his high-level experience. This is a true acid test for one of boxing’s most exciting emerging talents.
Zayas is an impeccably-schooled fight, doing everything right behind a high guard while mixing his shots to head and body. A boxer-puncher by definition, he is calm under pressure and sticks to the basics.
Teixeira is an impossibly-tough southpaw. We saw that when he beat Adames while bleeding profusely from cuts on his face. The 33-year-old likes to attack with his right lead held low, potentially opening himself up for Zayas’ orthodox attacks. But Teixeira can take an unreal amount of punishment and is a dangerous counter-puncher.
I can see this one going the distance. Zayas can hit but is not a devastating knockout artist. Meanwhile, Teixeira has vulnerabilities but can eat shots and keep coming. I think Zayas’ cleaner work will win the day via decision at 13/10. Blood may be shed and I think lessons will be learned. The former belonging to Teixeira while the latter will surely benefit the up-and-coming 21-year-old.
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