All the important players at Wednesday’s introductory press conference for the June 27 junior middleweight clash between unified titleholder Xander Zayas and Jaron ”Boots” Ennis seemed to agree that it was early in the game for Zayas to take on a challenge like Ennis – including Zayas himself.
Although Zayas, 23-0 (13 KOs), is the fighter with the belts (Ennis holds a 154lbs interim strap), the 23-year-old Puerto Rico-born Floridian is also considered by many to be taking a risk in making a fight with Ennis at this stage of his career.
Ennis’ boogeyman reputation has followed him from the welterweight division to the junior middleweight ranks, where he has struggled to land the biggest fights – most notably a bout with Vergil Ortiz Jnr. After a cauldron of back-and-forth, on-again-off-again negotiations between Ortiz and Ennis yielded nothing, Zayas quickly moved to fill the void.
Against Philadelphia’s Ennis, 35-0 (31 KOs), Zayas will make the step up – and perhaps a great leap – to test his unified status against a fighter who may only need the proper dance partners to prove he’s among the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
“We got Xander when he was so young,” said Top Rank president Todd duBoef, whose promotion signed Zayas at 16 years old. “He was sitting in my office. He's like, ‘Miguel Cotto. I just idolize Miguel Cotto.’ But to see him physically mature, to see his intellect in the ring, to get used to the ups and downs. … And then, obviously, once you win that title, you just expand your horizons. You get more confidence. And he’s got so much confidence, he goes out for the boogeyman, the guy that nobody wants to fight.
“We're not holding him back. We're letting the race car go.”
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who reps Ennis, said no one was more skeptical about getting the fight made than he. Even after Top Rank signed a deal with DAZN (which has long partnered with Matchroom), Hearn was unconvinced talks would end with Zayas signing on the dotted line.
“I said, ‘Absolutely no chance. There is no chance this fight will be made,’” Hearn said. “‘Top Rank won't allow it. Xander Zayas is a young, incredible fighter. There is no way he will fight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.’ And I am actually sitting here still in shock that this fight is made. And I have to give unbelievable credit to Xander Zayas, because you are a great fighter, but you must have a massive set of cojones, because what you’re about to take part in June 27 is one of the toughest tasks in boxing.”
To hear Hearn tell it, the Zayas fight all but landed in his lap after Ortiz fell through – an unexpected consolation gift for Ennis, who at 28, has yet to face an opponent capable of pushing him – let alone pushing him to the brink.
Ennis isn’t convinced Zayas is that guy.
“Like I always say, you can watch me all day,” Ennis said. “Once you get in that ring, it’s a whole different story. I’m a lot faster than what you think. I’m a lot stronger than what you think. My IQ is higher than what you think. He’s gonna be in for a long night.
“Great fighter. Good fighter. But there’s levels.”
While Wednesday’s topics bounced around from Zayas’ precocious age to a purse split that Ennis said signaled his opponents’ lack of confidence to both promoters agreeing that the right path would have been to draw out Zayas’ career build-up and avoid a threat as significant as an Ennis showdown at this moment, the fighter himself acknowledged his youth – but said he is focused on just one thing.
“It’s always been about legacy,” Zayas said. “Becoming the youngest ever to sign with Top Rank. Legacy. Becoming the youngest [current male] world champion, at 22 when I did it. Legacy. Youngest unified world champion. Legacy. And now fighting one of the best in the world, in the division. It’s about legacy.
“Anybody could have taken the easy route and just went any other fighter, top 15, just get an easy ‘W,’ collect some good cash and that’s it. I wanted to fight the best. I want to show that I’m the best every time I step into the ring, and that’s what I’m gonna do June 27.”
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
