What to Know
- The highly anticipated Zayas vs Boots super welterweight showdown between unified champion Xander Zayas and challenger Jaron “Boots” Ennis is building ahead of Saturday, June 27
- Oddsmakers favor Boots of Philadelphia is a heavy favorite over the champion Zayas of Puerto Rico
- Has the fight fallen off the radar since the surprising fight announcement in March?
Xander Zayas and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis have done their part, including their obligations during Fight Week in Brooklyn, ahead of their title showdown at the Barclays Center on Saturday, June 27. But have they done enough to generate the excitement this matchup deserves?
I’ll do my part and make a prediction for Zayas vs Boots, just like everyone else. But predictions are often a distraction from enjoying the fight outcome.
Boxing fans went wild last March when the fight was made official after Zayas chased down Ennis and insisted to his promoters at Top Rank Boxing to make the fight with Ennis’ Matchroom Boxing team.
The Stakes for Boots Ennis
Ennis of Philadelphia (35-0, 31 KOs) will take on Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) in just his second fight in the super welterweight division. Ennis dominated Eimantas Stanionis, stopping him in six rounds at welterweight last April to unify titles, then moved up and demolished Uisma Lima in a single round in October.
Now, Ennis can become a two-division unified champion with a win on Saturday, and the oddsmakers believe Ennis is all but a lock for it.
The Stakes for Xander Zayas
Zayas will defend his WBA and WBO World Super Welterweight titles for the first time after he unified the division in January against Abass Baraou of Germany. The split-decision victory made Zayas the youngest unified champion in boxing at age 23 and the first Puerto Rican to unify at the weight.
Zayas returns to New York one year after winning his first title at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, dominating Jorge Garcia Perez to claim the vacant WBO belt.
Boots Ennis: I’m Ready to Shut Everybody Up
But Ennis, his father, and trainer Bozy Ennis, and much of the boxing world don’t think Zayas is ready for the challenge ahead of him.
“Whatever he thinks he does well, I do better. You cannot jab better than me. You are not faster than me. You are not slicker than me. You are not stronger than me. Your defense is not better than mine. Your footwork is not better than mine,” said Ennis.
“I’m ready to shut everybody up. Those belts are coming back home to Philly. It’s time to have fun, make it easy work, look phenomenal, and come home with a big knockout,” added Ennis.
Trainer Bozy Ennis said at Thursday’s final pre-fight news conference it will be a terrific fight for the fans. But Ennis promised that whatever game plan Zayas employs against his son, it won’t go well for him.
“It all depends on how Xander is coming, if he boxes or if you’re coming straight at us. We got something for you either way. Boots don’t change nothing. He do what he’s supposed to do. I don’t have to tell him what to do, because he knows what to do,’ said the senior Ennis.
“Xander, if you come forward, putting pressure, like I see you fighting a few other guys, it’s not going to last that long, you know? He can get out there and box, might last for maybe six, seven rounds. Xander might get eight rounds. I mean, other than that, there’s no hope,” said Ennis.
Bozy Ennis clarified that he likes Xander’s style, the way he boxes, and said Zayas has a lot of heart. He credited Zayas for taking the fight with his son, earning his respect. But it doesn’t change his opinion of the outcome Saturday.
Xander Zayas: I Will Prove I’m Better Than Him
On the other side of the stage, Zayas’ trainer Javiel Centeno saw it a different way.
“We see certain things that we can take advantage of, and of course, I won’t mention them here,” said Centeno. “Xander is the type of, you know, fighter that will go in there and, and, you know, stay composed and look for those openings that we need to take advantage of, and things that we’ve discussed.”
Centeno said Zayas has always demonstrated hunger, but now he can finally see the end of the tunnel, with a win vaulting him beyond his fame at home in Puerto Rico to worldwide stardom.
“We’re going to go in there as a team and be smart about this fight,” said Centeno, promising to prove it on Saturday.
The man of the hour said he is ready to become a two-time world champion. “I’ve been enjoying myself, putting in all the hard work, you know, getting a lot of different work with different guys, and it just campus is gonna be phenomenal, man. I just can’t wait to, you know, show my skills and my ability on Saturday and show the world around the best in the world,” said Ennis, promising a knockout victory.
Zayas said fighting as a champion in his first pay-per-view event in New York is the realization of a dream he’s held since he was five years old.
Brimming with calm confidence, Zayas said he is the smarter fighter in the ring. “I feel like I always make the adjustments, and that’s what great fighters do. I’m not going to sit here and take away credit from what he is as a fighter. He’s a great fighter, and I’ve always said it. And Saturday night, I will prove why I’m better than him,” adding he will be smart and have fun, “like I always do.”
Zayas said he will use his advantage as the bigger man in the ring on Saturday. “I’m going to use every advantage I can, every advantage I have, every opportunity I have, and I will capitalize on it at the moment.”
Stop Worrying, Start Enjoying The Fight
Both Zayas and Ennis have done the required interviews and media appearances, but haven’t opened the door to their camps. Behind those closed doors, Ennis has made a point of staying off social media, and Zayas has quietly gone about his business.
Meanwhile, fans and experts are struggling to make a prediction. They’ve acknowledged the wide odds favoring Ennis, but as the fight draws nearer, the lure of big money for a Zayas victory has brought in betting that has narrowed those odds somewhat.
While the discussion rages in every pre-fight podcast and interview, the majority of predictions favor Ennis by decision. But there are people predicting a Zayas victory, including Tim Bradley, Teddy Atlas, my colleagues Sean Zittel and Radio Rahim – and they can count me in their camp.
Ennis has plenty of power and is beautifully conditioned by his father. But Zayas possesses speed, especially foot speed. He is also the smarter man in the ring, because he cannot rely on sheer power despite his size. Instead, Zayas first makes sure he’s hard to find and harder to hit. He uses his footwork to strike and then get himself out of range.
It’s a tiring way to fight, but it’s a successful way if you can do it for 12 rounds. What Zayas cannot do is let himself be drawn into a firefight, which favors Ennis. Bozy Ennis is right about this: Zayas cannot come straight at Ennis for the majority of the fight.
It may not deliver the barnburner action fans at the Barclays Center want to see, but it will answer the question everyone seems to be struggling with leading up to Saturday night.
Better Way to Look at Zayas vs Boots:
Why Zayas Is A Winner Here: At 23 and 5-foot-10, Zayas is not struggling to make the 154-pound weight limit in the least. But he is fighting in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions. If Zayas defeats Boots Ennis, his road to unification still runs through WBC World champion Sebastian Fundora, and that’s a problem.
If he loses, he can move up to the middleweight division, where there is a lack of top-tier talent and a clear path to winning titles in a second weight division before hitting his mid-20s. This is how a fighter develops a Hall of Fame resume.
Why Boots Is A Winner Here: Jaron Ennis is the favorite to win this fight. A sharply prepared Ennis is dangerous to Zayas. Zayas is skilled and has few holes in his game, lacking only raw punching power, and it may embolden Ennis to come right at him.
In just his second fight in the division and in just his second round when the opening bell rings, Ennis can become a unified champion, just like that. It’s a big step toward the Boxing Hall of Fame.
The one thing Zayas has that Ennis doesn’t is visibility. Ennis is a boxing purist’s favorite fighter. Outside Philadelphia, Ennis could walk down the street in most major cities and no one would know who he is.
Zayas is a Latin world star. He danced and shadowboxed with his friend and stablemate Emiliano Vargas alongside Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show. What current boxer is big enough to get that buzz? I’ll wait.
The Winner: Boxing and boxing fans. With threats coming at it from all angles, boxing’s health in the U.S. continues to seem fragile. Xander Zayas and Jaron Ennis prove when talent speaks, boxing listens.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.