Xander Zayas was expected to prove he was boxing’s next big star on Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Instead, the 23-year-old Puerto Rican took the most difficult fight of his career and lost decisively to Jaron Ennis. Ennis dominated the 154-pound bout, scoring three knockdowns before finishing the fight in the seventh round. Zayas left the arena in an ambulance, fulfilling Ennis’s promise of a quick, brutal ending.
Xander Zayas Leaves Barclays Center by Ambulance After Three Knockdowns
Ennis, now 36-0 with 32 knockouts, dropped Zayas in the opening round and took control through the middle rounds, flooring him again in the fifth before finishing the job in the seventh. Despite moving up from the welterweight division, Ennis entered the fight as a -500 betting favorite.
He established control early by knocking Zayas down in the first round. Zayas responded in the third round, hitting Ennis with a hard right hand that pushed him into the ropes and led to a highly competitive fourth round. However, Ennis regained control and knocked Zayas down again in the fifth.
Between the fifth and sixth rounds, the ringside doctor, referee Harvey Dock, and Zayas’s corner expressed concern over the damage Zayas was taking. Dock even warned Zayas that he would stop the contest due to the brutality.
In the seventh round, a series of clean punches from Ennis forced Zayas to take a knee, ending the match at 1:49 of the round. He entered the ring as the unified champion but left empty-handed after Ennis took both belts. The crowd, which heavily favored the Puerto Rican, booed Ennis as he left the ring.
Zayas, meanwhile, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for precautionary evaluation after the fight, as video shared by Ricardo Celis on X. He had to skip the post-fight press conference. Promoter Eddie Hearn later confirmed it was just standard precaution after a brutal stoppage like that.
Breaking: Xander Zayas was transported to a local hospital by ambulance strictly as a precautionary measure. pic.twitter.com/Dn6KMQz7Zb
— Ricardo Celis (@CelisDeportes) June 28, 2026
According to The Guardian, he didn’t make any excuses, said he lost like a gentleman, and noted that it’s just part of the business, adding, “You live, you learn, you come back again.” He’s only 23, so he’s got plenty of time to bounce back.
Meanwhile, Ennis confirmed his ambition after the fight, calling out Vergil Ortiz Jr. to unify the rest of the division. He said, per CBS Sports, “Bring on Vergil and bring on the belts. I’m here to be undisputed in this weight class so it doesn’t matter who is next because I’ll fight them all.”
With a perfect record of 36-0 and 32 knockouts, Ennis has officially cemented himself as the boogeyman of the 154-pound division. Fans can feel sorry for the 23-year-old because this Saturday night in Brooklyn served as a harsh reality check that moving too fast in this sport comes with a heavy price — whether you count it in lost rounds or a ride to the hospital.
