Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas will step up against fellow unbeaten Slawa Spomer on Friday, Feb. 14th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Zayas vs. Spomer is set for ten rounds and will be the chief supporting bout for Denys Berinchyk's WBO lightweight title defense against Keyshawn Davis. In the ten-round televised opener, New Jersey middleweight Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. looks to upend undefeated Connor “The Kid” Coyle.The show will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) spent 2024 fighting at this venue. He headlined Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend in June, coasting past former world title holder Patrick Teixeira over ten rounds. Three months later, he shut out Mexico’s Damian Sosa. The San Juan native signed with Top Rank at 16, made his pro debut as a 17-year old in 2019.
Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) has beaten three undefeated boxers so far in his career. In October 2023, the German puncher defeated French hopeful Milan Prat over ten rounds. Spomer returned 13 months later and picked up a first-round TKO over Adam Ngange in Dubai.
"Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of making New York City my second home, and it fills me with pride to know that with a lot of effort and sacrifice, little by little, we have been receiving more and more love from my Puerto Ricans from ‘The Big Apple,’” Zayas said. “Fighting in front of my people at Madison Square Garden is always a great honor, and I can't wait to give them a great night of boxing on February 14. I will show I am ready to challenge for a world title at 154 pounds. I will not back down!”
Spomer said, “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this my whole life. It’s time to show the world that I belong at the top of the sport.”
The 22 year-old Mielnicki (20-1, 12 KOs) makes his middleweight debut and is riding a twelve-fight winning streak. He signed with Top Rank last year and made his promotional debut in August with a second-round disqualification win over Laszlo Toth. He returned in September at The Theater and secured a majority decision over Khalil El Harraz.
Coyle (21-0, 9 KOs), a world-ranked Irishman, is a 34-year-old veteran who turned pro in 2016 following a well-traveled amateur run. He made three defenses of a regional title from 2022-2023 and picked up his lone victory of 2024 in August with an eight-round decision over Kyle Lomotey in Barnsley, England. Coyle is no stranger to “road warrior” status, as he’s 18-0 on North American soil.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard is scheduled to include the following bouts:
Dominican-born Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KOs) continues his march up the wselterweight division against Puerto Rico’s Jean Carlos Torres (22-1, 17 KOs) in a ten-rounder. Polanco represented his homeland at the Tokyo Olympics and has knocked out four of his last five foes. Torres has won three bouts since a 2021 stoppage defeat to Darwin Price.
Lightweight Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs) will make his 2025 debut against Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. The Cleveland-born Mason fought five times in 2024, stopping all his opponents in four rounds or less. Jaimes lost a ten-round decision to former world champion Rolando Romero last September.
Cleveland’s Tiger Johnson (14-0, 6 KOs), a 2021 Olympian, will face Cincinnati native Quashawn Toler (17-3, 12 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle for Ohio supremacy. This marks the fourth straight appearance at The Theater for Johnson, who went 3-0 with one knockout in 2024. In September, he won an eight-round decision over Yomar Alamo.
Middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (11-1, 5 KOs), the grandson of “The Greatest,” will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder. Ali Walsh avenged the lone loss of his career last June, overcoming a dislocated shoulder to win a unanimous decision over Sona Akale.
