Carrington vs Heita interim title fight joins Zayas vs Garcia on July 26

Bruce Carrington will fight for his first title on July 26th at The Theater at Madison Square Garden

Top Rank has officially announced both the previously revealed July 26th super welterweight title fight between Xander Zayas and Jorge Garcia Perez and its undercard lineup, which includes an unexpected title bout and a number of its top young talents.

​​”This is a dream I’ve worked hard for my entire life. I’ve got a good opponent in Jorge Garcia, a Mexican hungry to become a world champion,” Zayas said. “But I’m ready to raise the Puerto Rican flag high in victory and become a world champion at 22 years old. See you all on July 26.”

“A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to win my last fight, but I scored a stunning upset,” said Garcia. “Even though I was the underdog, I shocked the world. This fight won’t be any different. Becoming a world champion is my dream, and I’m ready to make it come true on July 26 with a dominant win over Xander Zayas. Mexico will have a new champion this summer.”

The co-feature sees top-ranked WBC featherweight contender Bruce Carrington (15-0, 9 KO) battle no. 14 Mateus Heita (14-0, 9 KO) for the interim title. It’s unclear why the hardware is necessary, but this does lend credence to rumors that champion Stephen Fulton will move up to challenge O’Shaquie Foster for the super featherweight belt. Alternatively, “champion in recess” Rey Vargas could be stepping in to fight “Cool Boy.”

Whatever the case, Heita will be fighting outside his native Namibia for the first time and taking a gargantuan step up in class against “Shu Shu.”

“It’s always a thrill to fight in my city, and I can’t wait to bring the ‘Shu Shu Show’ back to The Theater at Madison Square Garden,” Carrington said. “The featherweight division is full of champions who have refused my challenge, so I credit Heida for accepting. That said, I will take out my frustration on him on July 26 and continue putting the division on notice.”

“I’ve proven to the world that I’m a world-class boxer, and facing the best has always been my ambition because I believe I’m destined for greatness,” said Heita. “I see Bruce as just another obstacle to becoming a world champion. There’s nothing particularly special about him — he’s simply another challenge I will overcome.”

The main card opener pits 20-year-old Emiliano Vargas (14-0, 12 KO), the most promising scion of Fernando, against Alexander Espinoza (23-7-3, 8 KO). Ecuador’s Espinoza is a well-traveled B-side, facing and falling to the likes of Mikhail Aloyan, Kash Farooq, Andrew Moloney, Peter Mcgrail, and most recently Omar Trinidad over the years.

“Like 50 Cent said, I run New York. All jokes aside, I’m ready to perform on the biggest stage and continue to win,” Vargas said. “Each fight is one step closer to becoming the world champion God called me to be.”

The ESPN+ prelims most notably feature the latest from Puerto Rican Olympian Juanmita Lopez (2-0, 1 KO).