Xander Zayas KO9 Slawa Spomer... n a battle of unbeaten junior middleweight contenders, Puerto Rico's Xander Zayas emerged victorious, outworking a game-but-outgunned Slawa Spomer en route to a ninth-round stoppage victory. A fast start from Zayas (153.2 pounds and fighting out of Sunrise, Florida) left Spomer’s nose bloodied in round one. At 22 and the younger fighter by ten years, Zayas dominated Slawa (153.2) by using quick hands, combinations, and powerful hooks to the body. Though Slawa, who had Hall-of-Famer Roy Jones Jr. in his corner, found holes in Zayas’ defense, he lacked the power to quell his adversary’s offensive output.  In round nine, a left hook to the liver doubled over Spomer in obvious pain and the ensuing barrage of power punches from Zayas forced a referee stoppage at the 2:01 mark. Zayas, rated #1 in the WBO, improved to 21-0 (13 KOs). Spomer, born in Kyrgyzstan and based out of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, exited his United States debut with his first defeat, dipping to 20-1 (11 KOs).