Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ push to stand as a unified champion in two weight classes within 15 months has moved him to relinquish his WBA interim 154lbs belt.
BoxingScene learned that Ennis, 35-0 (31KOs), will surrender the secondary title so he can shoot to number one and mandatory-challenger position with the WBO, which previously kept him unranked because it does not recognize other sanctioning bodies’ interim or secondary titles.
The WBO requires contenders to be ranked in its top 15 in order to capture a belt from the Puerto Rico-based sanctioning body.
Ennis on June 27 at Barclays Center in New York will meet unbeaten WBO and WBA 154lbs champion Xander Zayas, 23-0 (13KOs), of Puerto Rico on a DAZN pay-per-view.
The Philadelphia fighter previously captured the WBA and IBF welterweight belts in April 2025 by defeating Eimantas Stanionis, and after a contractual dispute between WBC interim 154lbs champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr and his promoter Golden Boy scuttled plans for Ortiz-Ennis, the 28-year-old Ennis and Zayas, 23, turned to each other.
Zayas won his WBO belt by defeating Mexico’s Jorge Garcia Perez via unanimous decision, then wrested the WBA belt from Germany’s Abass Baraou by split decision on January 31.
