Xander Zayas had a "dream" 10 days after becoming the youngest unified world champion boxer, before Bad Bunny handed the Puerto Rican athlete a role in his Super Bowl halftime show
11:55 ET, 12 Feb 2026
Musician Bad Bunny performs during the Apple Music halftime show at Super Bowl LX
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Bad Bunny handed Xander Zayas a role in his Super Bowl halftime show(Image: 2026 Todd Rosenberg)
Bad Bunny handed champion boxer Xander Zayas a role in his Super Bowl halftime show, following his impressive win over Abass Baraou on January 31.
The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, but Bad Bunny's halftime show performance continues to be one of the standout talking points. President Donald Trump slammed Bad Bunny's performance and said his dancing was "disgusting," and called out the NFL for its decision.
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made his feelings clear about the performance, ignoring the criticism and embracing Bad Bunny afterward. Although the artist has received both praise and backlash, he also offered Zayas the role of a lifetime.
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Zayas is a Puerto Rican boxer with a 23-0 record, and recently defeated Baraou by decision at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. The victory made him the youngest unified world champion, and days later, he was at Super Bowl LX.
The boxer was seen in his boxing shorts during the halftime show and told TMZ Sports that Bad Bunny had given him an exclusive role. Two male models were initially meant to shadow box during the performance, but Bad Bunny handed the roles to Zayas and Emiliano Vargas.
"He realized well, we just signed Xander Zayas to Rimas Sports, his company, so might as well have him, and he extended the invitation two weeks before my fight, so obviously I told him, 'hey, I need to win first,'" Zayas said to TMZ.
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"I don't wanna go to the Super Bowl as a loser," he added. After Zayas won the fight, he accepted Bad Bunny's proposal.
"I'm still in a dream," he added. "I'm still trying to blink and wake up from it. It's been an amazing two weeks."
Bad Bunny's halftime show has divided opinion, but President Trump was disgusted by the performance and posted an angry message on Truth Social during the Super Bowl. "It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence," he wrote.
Xander Zayas punches Slawa Spomer during their junior middleweight fight in 2025
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Xander Zayas improved to 23-0 before featuring in Bad Bunny's halftime show(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."
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The Republicans are now reportedly investigating the halftime show, following claims that Bad Bunny used explicit language during the performance. Mark Alford, a Republican from Missouri, told FOX Sports: "I saw the halftime show... The lyrics, from what we’ve seen from Bad Bunny, are very disturbing.
"I don’t speak fluent Spanish, I know how to ask where the bathroom is. But these lyrics — if it’s true, what was said on national television — we have a lot of questions for the entities that broadcast this, and we’ll be talking to Brendan Carr from the FCC about this."
Despite the investigation claims, no credible reports have alleged that Bad Bunny used any explicit language. Reports even claim that the artist self-censored lyrics and skipped parts of songs that contained sensitive language.