Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas crossed over onto the gridiron at Super Bowl LX.
While neither Zayas nor Vargas is an American football fan, the two boxers were on the field at Levi’s Stadium during the Super Bowl LX halftime show. Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny used the two rising stars as part of his Hispanic-based performance.
Zayas and Vargas appeared on screen midway through the performance. The boxers threw light punches at each other in a sugar cane field as Bad Bunny walked between them.
Boxing makes an appearance at the Half Time Show from the Super Bowl.
Bad Bunny really brought out Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas shadow boxing. 🥊🐰💪 pic.twitter.com/mX1AsghMWC
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 9, 2026
Neither Zayas nor Vargas hinted at the move before it happened, making it a total surprise to boxing fans watching the halftime performance.
Bad Bunny has been a big boxing fan for most of his life, leading to his desire to give the sport shine on the biggest stage. Boxing has been a big part of the Hispanic culture for decades, influencing the rapper from a young age.
Like Bad Bunny, Zayas was born in Puerto Rico, which is a big part of his identity and culture. However, the 23-year-old unified champion currently spends most of his time in Florida, where his family moved to when he was young.
Vargas is not Puerto Rican, but he shares similar Hispanic roots. Vargas, the son of former super welterweight champion Fernando Vargas, has Mexican roots, but he has lived in the United States his entire life.
Xander Zayas goes to Super Bowl LX after becoming unified champion
Xander Zayas | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Making it to the Super Bowl caps off a big couple of weeks for Zayas, who just gained his second 154-pound belt with a win over Abass Baraou on Jan. 31. Although that event got overshadowed by Ring VI, those who watched Zayas defeat Baraou gained respect for his fight style and ceiling as a champion.
Zayas improved to 23-0 with the win while collecting his second super welterweight belt in as many fights. He defeated Jorge Garcia Perez in July 2025 to win the vacant WBO 154-pound title, his first world championship.
While Zayas is already a champion, he is still young in his career and growing in star power. The San Juan native is arguably the most popular Puerto Rican boxer, sharing that honor with WBA, WBO and The Ring women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.
With Sebastian Fundora defending his title in March and Josh Kelly recently entering the title picture, the 154-pound division is hotter than it has been in years. Another big fight and impressive performance could be all it takes to push Zayas over the edge and
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