Zayas scores shutout

Welterweight Xander Zayas (7-0, 5 KOs), an 18-year-old prospect from Sunrise, Florida, got a good test from James Martin (6-2, 0 KOs), 23, of Philadelphia, but won every round in a 60-54 shutout from all three judges.

“I did some things well in there, but I still have a lot of room for improvement,” Zayas said. “The rounds will serve me well as I continue to develop. As a young fighter, you need these types of fights. I haven’t been out of the first round in nearly a year, so for me to get six round in, that was important.”

Also on the card:

Robert Garcia-trained middleweight contender Esquiva Falcao (28-0, 20 KOs), 31, a 2012 Brazilian Olympic silver medalist, broke down fellow southpaw Artur Akavov (20-4, 9 KOs), 35, a two-time world title challenger from Russia, forcing him to quit after the fourth round with a suspected broken nose.

Milwaukee middleweight Javier Martinez (3-0, 1 KOs) knocked out Billy Wagner (3-2, 1 KO) of Great Falls, Montana, at 1:51of the first round.

Junior welterweight Omar Rosario (3-0, 1 KOs), who won the 2020 Puerto Rican Olympic trials at 152 pounds, stopped Santa Ana, California’s Uriel Villanueva (1-1, 0 KOs) at 2:38 of the second round, in which Rosario scored two knockdowns.

The heavyweight fight between Philadelphia prospect Sonny Conto (6-0, 5 KOs) and Phoenix’s Waldo Cortes (6-3, 3 KOs) was canceled earlier Saturday because Cortes tested positive for Covid-19.

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

by Dan Rafael