Xander Zayas battles bullying during COVID-19 boxing standstill

Young boxing sensation Xander Zayas has made an immediate impact on the sport, but since fighting isn’t an option at the moment, he’s combating bullying.

Xander Zayas made a splash when he signed a professional boxing contract with Top Rank at the age of 16 years old. With COVID-19 disrupting life in every way, he is using his time out of the ring to combat bullying, which is so prevalent in society.

Sporting events are at a standstill until the curve flattens enough that it’s safe for them to resume, but Zayas is keeping busy by continuing to train and promoting a new anti-bullying campaign. His efforts are having a dynamic impact and are being supported by some of the biggest names in sports.

After compiling an amateur record of 122-14, Zayas could wait until the 2024 Olympics to compete for a gold medal, or he could turn pro. Top Rank came in with an offer, and just like that, his boxing dreams were playing out in realtime.

FanSided first talked to Zayas before his first pro bout, which he won by knockout in round 1. Seven months later, Zayas’s career in the ring is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Still, he has found a more significant purpose, which is putting an end to bullying.

While Zayas was only five years old in Puerto Rico, he was afraid to leave his house due to the physical and mental torment from a neighborhood bully.

“I started boxing when I was five years old,” Zayas told FanSided. “Before that, I was being a victim of bullying by a guy in my neighborhood. I didn’t want to go out and play. I didn’t want to go out and do anything because I was being abused. My mom decided to put me in boxing just to know how to defend myself. It was never to compete at a high level.”

Zayas displayed immense boxing talent from the beginning. He won his first 20 consecutive amateur bouts but lost his first national tournament. Instead of being deterred, he grew obsessed with the thought of becoming a national champion.

“I went to my first national,” recalled Zayas. “I lost my first national, and I was disappointed. I’m like, ‘man, I trained so hard and I lost.’ My trainer just said, ‘hey, keep your head up. This is the beginning.’

“The next year, we went back, and I got second place,” continued Zayas. “I was so mad. Then I went the third year and got first place. And the fourth year I got first place again. I got like three times in consecutive years, first place. At that point, I knew that it was something that I love, something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Now, many years later and fighting out of Sunrise, Florida, Zayas is an undefeated professional boxer. While he can’t box at the moment, Zayas found that fighting against bullying is also tremendously satisfying.

Zayas hasn’t forgotten the trauma that made him turn to boxing in the first place. His father suggested that he do something about it so that others wouldn’t have to endure the same type of pain he did as a child. Together, with the help of many sports superstars, they created an anti-bullying Instagram video.

“My dad came up with that idea, and I told him that’s a great idea,” said Zayas. “I was a victim of bullying once. It would be awesome if we could get a lot of people that other people look up to, and they can actually send a message too. We just started talking to people here and there.”

Many athletes heard Zayas’s words and rallied around his positive message. When all was said and done, Claressa Shields, Teofimo Lopez, Amanda Serrano, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, Jamel Herring, Carlos Correa, Udonis Haslem, and many others joined Zayas in his cause. He is overwhelmed by the support he has received from the sports world.

“It meant the world,” said Zayas. “I know that I wasn’t the only one in that video that was a victim of bullying once. It was great that I had those type of people in there. People that other people look up to, to send a message, a good message with good vibes just trying to stop bullying. Trying to stop something that is not right.

“If I see them right now, right here in person in front of me, I will hug them and tell them how thankful I am because of everything they did and how they accepted.”

As social distancing regulations ease, Zayas will hopefully soon find himself resuming his career in the ring like many others, but his fight against bullying is just beginning. It’s a cause that he plans to carry with him into the future.

“I will most definitely keep this message going because it’s a message that needs to get to people,” declared Zayas. “People need to understand what it means because I feel like people don’t understand the message, and they scroll without just reading or watching the message. I think it’s something I will really focus on throughout my career because I don’t want nobody else to lose their life because of bullying or be a victim of bullying.”

You can view Xander Zayas’s anti-bullying Instagram video here.