Zayas’s first loss could be the spark for a 160lb title run
After dropping his pro debut to Ennis, Mannix sees the Puerto Rican’s move to middleweight as the blueprint for championship gold.
Chris Mannix now predicts Xander Zayas will win a world title at 160 lbs after the Puerto Rican’s first professional loss to Jaron Ennis in November at Barclays Center. The 22-year-old Zayas (17-1, 12 KOs) took the 10-round unanimous decision defeat to Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), but Mannix argues the loss exposed no fatal flaw. Instead, he frames it as proof of Zayas’s ability to absorb pressure and adapt—traits that could thrive at middleweight, where weight-cut concerns vanish and power levels align with natural advantages.
Top Rank has already signaled Zayas’s move up to 160 lbs, with a planned return in early 2025. Mannix’s bold call hinges on Zayas’s compact, heavy-handed style translating cleanly to the middleweight limit, where he can leverage his 78-inch reach without the fatigue of cutting down from super welterweight. The prediction carries weight beyond Mannix’s pulpit.
