Ennis' skill and hand speed overwhelmed Zayas at first, and Boots used a six-pack combination to knock Zayas down in round 1. After the first attack, Zayas made the most of it, taking clean shots of his own and trying to use his size to knee Ennis in the pits. In the 3rd round, Zayas sent the crowd into a frenzy by firing hard shots that clipped Boots in the head. It was a real hardship for Ennis. Promoter Eddie Hearn said he was worried about twenty seconds into the third round, while Ennis said he was still chilling.
Zayas proved why he was a worthy joint champion, trying to stick with the moves and avoid a flurry of attacks from Philadelphia's Ennis. The Puerto Rican faithful were trying to get their countryman back in the fight, but the boots were too fast, too strong, and too technically sound for Zayas. Ennis scored his second knockdown in the 5th round with a left jab followed by a right uppercut. After the fight, Ennis said he was surprised the fight continued after that point. It was just a matter of time, Zayas' corner threw in the towel 1:49 into the seventh round. As Boot promised, the ring announcer announced the winner and the new champion.
Ennis, who turned 29 years old on Friday, had been bound for greatness. Tyrone McKenna (25-6-1, 8 KO) recounted taking on Ennis as a 23-year-old pro while Boots was just sixteen years old with two freshman fights under his belt. “[I] he jumped in, and I swear to God, I couldn't hit this guy for the life of me. He completely destroyed me. […]
After that spar, I started thinking, should I still be boxing? This kid really blew me away.” McKenna is just one of many people Boot has encouraged to feel that way.
Ennis switches between southpaw and orthodox stances with ease. Along with his quick feet and quick hands, Boots often draws comparisons to the recently retired Terence Crawford. Even with some of the criticism Ennis gets he feels cut and pasted to Terence Crawford. Ennis has been criticized for his continued thinness, despite campaigning at 147 pounds.
But in the biggest fight of his career, Ennis answered any questions about his legitimacy. He came out strong in front of a hostile crowd, overcoming adversity in the third round when it looked like Zayas could do something special, his foot on the gas to close the show. It was a perfect performance.
Earlier in the week, Ennis was asked how he would differentiate himself as a hero. “I'm versatile. I can do it all. I can do anything; I do what I want. I feel like I'm a boxer, I can take people down, I can fight inside, I can fight outside, between the range – whatever you want, I can do it, and I have the IQ to do it.” Fans watching at the Barclays Center and DAZN will be hard pressed to disagree.
Who will challenge the new unior middleweight champion in the future? Ennis and Vergil Ortiz (24-0, 22 KO) have been weighing each other up for what could be an exciting fight. After Ortiz's win last November, Ennis entered the ring and stared down Ortiz and set the stage for a fight between the two. However, Ortiz is in the middle of a contract dispute with Golden Boy Promotions, which has kept him out of the ring since. Hopefully, any issues can be resolved soon, so Ortiz deals less with lawyers and more with sparring partners.
After the fight, Ortiz wrote on Twitter that “sleep Jaron”. In a rare, exciting post-fight press conference, Boot openly stated that Ortiz is “flat-footed, and he's getting hit hard” and seemed eager to get in the ring with Ortiz.
The biggest obstacle facing Ennis will be WBC champion Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 15 KO). At 6' 5″ tall with an 80-inch wingspan, Fundora will have six inches of height and reach over Boots. The native of Coachella, California, recently scored the best win of his career, knocking out Keith Thurman in six rounds in March.
The final piece of the junior middleweight puzzle is IBF champion Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KO). This past January, Kelly defeated Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KO) to win the championship. Kelly will make his first title defense against Caoimhin Agyarko on July 25. Although the Sunderland, England native is not as highly regarded as Ortiz or Fundora, his IBF title makes Kelly an attractive option.
Then there's Xander Zayas himself. The Ennis fight was widely thought to be Zayas' last fight at 154 pounds. However, Eddie Hearn revealed that Zayas has a rematch clause with Ennis. It's hard to imagine Zayas wanting to take it back with Bots, but unknowns. Going into Saturday night, despite Zayas being the champion and naturally the bigger fighter, he was the clear underdog. Although the wrestlers weren't in his corner, the Brooklyn crowd was. Saturday night was Zayas' ninth fight in New York City as a pro, and the Puerto Rican fans were rooting for Zayas.
The week of the fight felt like a cultural festival. Brooklyn is already known for its diversity, but with the World Cup in full swing and Puerto Ricans on hand to cheer on Xander Zayas, the melting pot feels even bigger.
The weigh-in in the marquee in front of the Barclays Center was intense, humid and hostile between the stars. Boxing fans mingled outside with football fans and passers-by. There was a bit of controversy on Friday as Zayas and his team requested that Ennis trim his beard. At first, Ennis refused, but the New York State commissioner intervened and forced Ennis to trim his beard.
Ennis appeared unfazed by the trip to get a haircut on his birthday, as he was shown off by a crowd of Puerto Ricans. “After Saturday night, they're going to help me,” Ennis said. He certainly did enough to turn some of those boos into “Boots” chants. The crowd was electric inside the stadium, even during the first games. The undercard was populated by Puerto Ricans.
In a co-main event, Emiliano “El General” Vargas (18-0, 15 KO) stopped Bryce Mills (22-2, 9 KO) in the fourth round. Mills, a New York native, stepped out wearing a Syracuse Carmelo Anthony jersey to the sounds of Jay-Z's “New York State of Mind.” But the Mexican fans in attendance were vocal about their support for El General. With Vargas spending most of the fight in a southpaw position, the two super lightweights traded heavy punches in the first three rounds. Mills made good on his promise to go and beat Vargas, but Vargas' gun seemed to do more damage. Vargas dropped Mills as the third round drew to a close, and a small wart was beginning to form under Mills' right eye. El General continued to attack as the fourth round began, and he simply overpowered Mills.
Heralded British light heavyweight Ben Whitaker (12-0-1, 9 KO) made his United States debut, and ended up in New York. “The Surgeon” showed off his hand speed and agility right away, landing multiple shots before landing a quick hook that put Richard Rivera (27-3, 20 KO) as the first round ended. Fifteen seconds into the second round, the 2020 Olympic silver medalist hit Rivera with a left that put Rivera down again, and the referee had seen enough. It was the fourth fight in a row that Whitaker won by knockout within five minutes.
Before the fight, Rivera wasn't too impressed with Whittaker's braggadocious schtick, saying, “I wasn't thrown by his antics. I don't think those antics, those antics, come out of bravado. I think it's a mask to hide his real fear…. When fight night comes, they're going to take him and see how far those antics come from.”
So far, his antics and talent have earned Whitaker a shot at the light heavyweight championship.
Jahi Tucker (17-1-1) of Brooklyn defeated Euri Cedeno (14-1-1, 12 KO) by majority decision, winning two judges' cards 97-93 and 98-92, with the third judge scoring the fight 95-95. It was an intense ten rounds in the middleweight division. Cedeno, or La Bazuca, was animated throughout the fight, grinding Tucker as the two went to their respective corners. Tucker was persistent with his jab, but Cedeno was able to block most of Tucker's charges. Tucker believes he is the best middleweight in the world and wants to fight for the world title at 160 pounds.
Super flyweight Juanma Lopez (6-0, 3 KO) delighted the Puerto Rican by making short work of Spain's Alberto Motos (6-3, 2 KO). Junma, the son of former two-division world champion Juan Manuel Lopez, floored Motos with a straight left hand before the referee waved the fight off at 2:05 of the first round.
Dennis Thompson (11-0) defeated Edwin Rodriguez (12-12-3) by split decision in an eight-round electric fight. On paper, Thompson was set to win this fight, record his undefeated streak, and move on. But no one gave the script to Puerto Rican Edwin Rodriguez, whose pressure excited the fight fans and caused problems for Thompson. Thompson did better with his boxing skills in the last few rounds, and was able to get in and out of trades effectively. Rodriguez has been in the game for a long time.
What's next for Jaron Ennis? Fighting at home in Philadelphia? Vergil Ortiz? Trying to collect a third belt against Fundora or Kelly? Whatever he decides, Jaron Ennis has the boxing world in his boots.
