NEW YORK — With his new belt draped over his shoulder, Xander Zayas sent a message to his fellow 154-pound champions early Sunday morning.

Zayas, 22, didn’t just make history by becoming one of boxing’s youngest world champions Saturday night. The newly crowned WBO junior middleweight titleholder secured the leverage required to entice the top opponents in his division to fight him.

The native Puerto Rican mentioned IBF champ Bakhram Murtazaliev, WBC champ Sebastian Fundora and interim WBC champ Vergil Ortiz Jr. as potential opponents for late this year and early in 2026 after he outboxed awkward, strong contender Jorge Garcia in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

“Whoever, whoever,” Zayas told a group of reporters and videographers. “I heard Bakhram is looking for an opponent. Sebastian Fundora I heard wants his belt back. So, anybody. Anybody in the division can get it now. And it’s like I told you, there’s no running now. I’m a world champion and I have what they want.”

Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), of Sunrise, Florida, has what they want because he was disciplined, sharp and smart in outmaneuvering and outthinking Mexico’s Garcia (33-5, 26 KOs) during their 12-round bout. Judges Robin Taylor (119-109), Tom Schreck (118-110) and Tony Paolillo (116-112) all saw Zayas as a dominant winner in the last main event ESPN televised as part of its exclusive eight-year partnership with his promoter, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc.

Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs), of Coachella, California, Russia’s Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) and Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas, are all available to schedule fights with Zayas.

Only Fundora fought recently. The 6-foot-6 southpaw defeated Australia’s Tim Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs), who didn’t answer the bell for the eighth round of their rematch July 19 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Representatives for Fundora and Zayas negotiated for them to fight this summer. Fundora instead chose a second bout with Tszyu, whom he'd beaten by split decision in a bloody battle in March 2024 in Las Vegas.

Fighting Tszyu again required Fundora to give up his WBO belt, which led to the No. 1-ranked Zayas, who was his mandatory challenger, fighting the second-ranked Garcia.

Murtazaliev hasn’t boxed since he dropped Tszyu four times and upset the former WBO champ by third-round technical knockout Oct. 19 in Orlando, Florida. Ortiz last fought Feb. 22, when he defeated Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Zayas was asked specifically about Ortiz, one of their division’s most dangerous punchers.

“I hope so,” Zayas said. “I say yes. ... I hope that all those big fights happen. There’s no more running from me. I’m a world champion. I have what they want, so yes.”

The Ring ranks Ortiz at No. 2, Madrimov third, Murtazaliev fourth and Fundora fifth in its junior middleweight top 10. Zayas wasn’t rated before he beat Garcia, who entered their fight ranked 10th by The Ring.