Xander Yarob Zayas Castro

Xander Yarob Zayas Castro is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who rose through the regional ranks to become a world champion at junior middleweight. An orthodox 154-pounder who fights out of an operational base in Plantation / Sunrise, Florida (promoters sometimes bill him from San Juan), Zayas combined power and activity to build a 23–1 record with 13 stoppages before surrendering his world titles in mid-2026. Zayas turned professional in October 2019, opening his career with a first-round knockout in Reno and following that early momentum with a series of short-notice stoppages and points wins through 2021. Standing 178 cm with a 188 cm reach, he developed from four- and six-round prospects into a genuine 10-round contender by 2023, mixing decisive early-round knockouts with disciplined unanimous and unanimous-style decisions on the cards. His first notable step into title contention came in August 2022 when he stopped Elías Espadas to claim the vacant WBO–NABO super-welterweight regional title. That winter he added the WBC–NABF super-welterweight title, beating Alexis Salazar by unanimous decision while retaining the WBO–NABO belt. Over the next two years Zayas repeatedly defended those regional straps, keeping active with victories over Ronald Cruz, Roberto Valenzuela Jr., Jorge Fortea and a 10-round win over former world-class contender Patrick Teixeira, showing an ability to beat both durable veterans and rising opponents. Zayas’ regional run set up a move to world-level fights. On July 26, 2025, he won the vacant WBO junior middleweight world title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Jorge García Pérez. He consolidated that status in January 2026 when he retained the WBO belt and added the WBA junior middleweight title via split decision against Abass Baraou in San Juan, becoming a unified WBO and WBA junior middleweight world champion. That reign ended on June 27, 2026, when he was stopped in the seventh round by Jaron Ennis at Barclays Center; both the WBO and WBA titles were at stake. The loss returned Zayas to contender status, but his trajectory from a 2019 prospect to a unified junior middleweight champion underscores a rapid rise through regional titles and willingness to step up in class. At the time of this profile Zayas remains active. His record in the dossier stands at 23–1 with 13 stoppage wins, and he is remembered for a steady climb through the super-welterweight ranks to capture and unify world belts before the mid-2026 defeat.