That urgency makes sense once you look around the division, where Kelly had already won earlier in the day and several other names were already in the mix. Staying quiet can turn into getting skipped, especially when promoters are already weighing different options.
Zayas has seen how these situations usually go. Unification talk can sound urgent at first, then cool off once other fights start looking simpler to make. By speaking up early, he made sure his name stayed in the mix before attention drifted to something else.
This isn’t a division where one fight naturally waits its turn. Jaron Ennis is promoted by the same company as Kelly, Matchroom, which keeps that pairing close at hand if both sides decide it makes sense. Vergil Ortiz Jr. continues to carry recognition with fans and broadcasters and has long been treated as a major player. Sebastian Fundora remains part of the picture because of his size, his recent title run, and the way his fights tend to unfold.
Tim Tszyu adds another option entirely. His fights bring Australian pay per view money into play, opening a market that doesn’t depend on New York, Puerto Rico, or the UK. Promoters are well aware of that pull, and those numbers can shift plans quickly once they come into focus.
Zayas understands how fast attention can move. If he doesn’t speak early, someone else often gets looked at first, and the conversation can change before he has a chance to pull it back. That doesn’t shut doors permanently, but it can delay things longer than expected.
Xander is coming off a 12 round split decision win over Abass Baraou. He holds two belts, but not the one that usually drives negotiations. Kelly’s side has already mentioned the idea of a large stadium fight in the UK. None of that rules Zayas out, but it does underline how open the situation still is.
Zayas called out Kelly immediately to stay near the front of the line. In this division, waiting rarely pays off.
