Xander Zayas Makes Statement For Prospect Of The Year With TKO Over Alessio Mastronunzio

It took Xander Zayas barely three minutes to defeat Alessio Mastronunzio on Saturday night on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey undercard at Madison Square Garden.

The 19-year-old Puerto Rican dominated his 26-year-old Italian opponent right from the get-go.

In the opening round, it was quite evident that Zayas’ power and agility overpowered Mastronunzio.

Seconds before the end of the third minute of the first round, the referee had to stop the contest, declaring Zayas the winner via TKO.

In the six-round showdown, the Italian boxer was down on the canvas barely 10 seconds into the fight after absorbing an overhand right. At 2:52, the fight was halted after Zayas wobbled his opponent with a strong right hand, then struck a series of blows on an off-balanced Mastronunzio.

The Italian star was looking to drag the fight for a couple more minutes to return afresh in the second round, but Zayas was in a hurry to finish it off early. Zayas, who is undefeated in his pro career so far, has now 12 wins under his belt.

In the post-fight interview with ESPN, the teenager called himself “the prospect of the year.” On the flip side, this was Mastronunzio’s only second career loss and first blow by knockout. He turned pro at 23.