Xander Zayas doesn’t hide the excitement in his youthful voice when he talks about the timing and location of his next fight.
Puerto Rican Day weekend and Madison Square Garden, a time and an arena that — for a young boxing fan growing up in San Juan before moving to Florida — mean everything.
One of boxing’s most-acclaimed prospects, the 20-year-old Zayas (15-0) was set to fight at MSG on the same date last year but was forced to withdraw because of an illness.
One year later, his lifelong vision becomes a reality.
Zayas fights Ronald Cruz (18-2-1) in a 10-round junior middleweight bout as the co-main event on Top Rank’s Josh Taylor-Teofimo Lopez card (10 p.m., ESPN) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night — hours before the Puerto Rican Day Parade sweeps through the city.
“It means the world to me,” Zayas told The Post. “It’s an opportunity that I’ve always wanted, I’ve always dreamed of. The biggest names in Puerto Rican boxing fought during Puerto Rican Day weekend —Tito Trinidad, Miguel Cotto. And now, I’ll be fighting for the Miguel Cotto award, it’s even more meaningful, more exciting. I’m just blessed. I’m blessed for the opportunity that the company is giving me. I’m ready to take advantage of it…
“They brought a lot of glory to Puerto Rico. I’m looking forward to carrying that weight that they left behind and carrying that torch.”
The Miguel Cotto Award was introduced last year and given to the winner of each main event on Puerto Rican Day weekend to honor the legendary former champion.
Saturday night’s bout will already be Zayas’ fourth fight in New York City at MSG.
Despite not calling the city home, Zayas feels connected to both the vibrant local Puerto Rican community and the arena where he watched so many of his heroes become immortal.
And he wants to keep coming back, at least until he reaches similar heights.
“I’m looking forward to making it my second home like Tito Trinidad, Miguel Cotto and all those guys did,” Zayas said. “I get excited every time they give me a call to fight at Madison Square Garden. It’s something special, every time there.
“I’m looking forward to someday headlining a show at MSG or the theater. And to sell it out. I feel like in the years to come, I will be that name that will sell out MSG every time I step into that arena. I love the atmosphere, I love the energy that people bring to New York, and I’m looking forward to being the next face for MSG boxing.”
Zayas is certainly on track.
Despite his age, the junior middleweight phenom already has started to creep into the top 15 in some of the rankings — No. 5 in the WBO and No. 11 in the WBA.
He signed with Top Rank at just 16 years old after emerging as one of the world’s best amateurs, becoming the youngest fighter to ever sign with the promotion.
In 2021, Zayas was named ESPN’s Prospect of the Year.
Mature beyond his years inside and outside the ring, Zayas combines rapid — and sometimes relentless — punching ability with supreme ring IQ to dispatch his opponents, who keep increasing in quality.
“The way that I can adjust inside the ring and outside the ring. The way that I handle myself. And the way that I can just keep improving every fight. I feel like that’s what has separated me from all the other young guys, is that the company believes in me, and at the same time, they see every time I’m in [the ring], I show something even better,” Zayas said.
Each subsequent fight figures to be a step-up match for Zayas, who has so far passed each new test in a dominant fashion.
And with each victory, Zayas continues to draw more eyes on himself.
Before his last bout, a unanimous decision victory over Alexis Salazar last December, Zayas was walked to the ring by Mets closer Edwin Diaz, a fellow Puerto Rican star whom Zayas calls a friend.
Diaz plans to be in attendance Saturday night.
In recent weeks, Zayas has posted videos of himself working out with another buddy, Puerto Rican hip-hop star Myke Towers.
Zayas plans to have another celebrity accompaniment on Saturday, although he’s keeping the name a surprise.
The greatest challenge at the moment, it seems, is balancing his ambition to fight at his best and grow his name while developing at the right speed.
Saturday’s fight will not only be a major milestone in his ascension, but it will be a confirmation of Zayas’ stature in the sport.
But beyond this being another test to pass, the match is also a dream come true.
“I feel like I’m not even close to my prime,” Zayas said. “I’m not even close to my man strength. What I’m gonna become, when I hit that age, when I hit that prime, it’s gonna be scary for a lot of people.
“I will show why my name will be in the history books of boxing.”
