Written by: Sean Crose
Rising junior middleweight Xander Zayas defeated hotshot Patrick Teixeira in a ten-round fight at New York’s Hulu Theater on Saturday. The fight was the main event of the Top Rank/ESPN card.
Zayas started fast while Teixeira worked to maintain range and escape Zayas’ power shots. Zayas managed to land on his planted feet in the second. Things got interesting in the third as each man threw straight shots at his opponent’s midsection. Things were patterned in the fourth, with Zayas pushing the action while Teixeira tried to fight from the outside. It was close, but Zayas controlled the tempo.
By the middle of the fight, it was clear that Zayas was only strong in his own person. Teixeira was game, no doubt, but he didn’t have the power to change the course of things with the strategy he used. It looked like Teixeira had a broken thumb. Although Teixeira threw back, Zaya’s shots appeared to be different. Zayas hurt Teixeira in the eighth, to the point where you had to wonder what Teixeira had left. That being said, the strong underdog survived this round.
Zayas continued to dish out punishment in the ninth in what was beginning to be a painful battle to watch. Still, Teixeira, blood pouring down his face, continued to fight. The tenth and final round was very similar to the previous rounds, and after the final bell, it was no surprise when Zayas was awarded the UD win by the judges. Still, Zayas fought well and hard against an opponent who has no concept of the word “quit.” His record improved to 19-0 and Teixeira now owns a record of 34-5.
*Image: High quality
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