Junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) defeated Damian Sosa (25-3, 12 KOs) by a one-sided ten-round unanimous decision in a co-feature showcase bout Friday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The results were 100-90, 100-90 and 100-90.

The 22-year-old Zayas took on Sosa, pounding him with left hooks to the body, jabs and straight rights that made him hesitate to throw him. Sosa came into the fight known for his high punching output, but he was afraid to stand up to Zayas because he was countered often.

Sosa was competitive in rounds one and two, landing some good punches and making Zayas be careful with his throwing. However, by the third round, Sosa stopped fighting aggressively and gave Zayas too much respect. If Sosa had continued to fight hard, Zayas would have struggled because he wasn’t comfortable with the punches he was taking.

The 27-year-old Sosa increased his offense in the ninth and 10th rounds, landing hooks to Zayas’ head. However, he lacked the strength to trouble Zayas and was repeatedly overwhelmed with counterattacks.

Top Rank did well to select Sosa over Zayas, who doesn’t have the biggest chin and may struggle later if he doesn’t improve his defense. Tonight, Zayas was excellent at blocking shots and dodging Sosa’s punches.

In order for Zayas to compete with 154 power punchers like Vergil Ortiz Jr., Israil Madrimov, Tim Tszyu and Serhii Bohachuk, he needs to get his defense on point.

It looks like Top Rank suits Zayas in a similar way to Edgar Berlanga when they had him. They’re not taking any risks by pairing Zayas with fighters who could cause him problems, and it looks like the focus is on building a stellar resume.

This won’t help Zayas in the long run as he will be in shock if he becomes friends with a talented fighter with power like Tszyu, Madrimov, Bohachuk or Ortiz Jr.

Sooner or later, Top Rank will have to throw Zayas to the wolves to see how he will do. He won’t turn into a fake star in the USA by fighting against weaker fighters. If Zayas is to be the next Miguel Cotto or Felix Trinidad and not the next Edgar Berlanga, Top Rank needs to start pitting him against the mental opposition.