Ennis stepped forward repeatedly while staring down, pointing the finger at the 23-year-old champion and closing the distance until both fighters were chest to chest. The moment escalated as Ennis continued to gesture in close proximity, forcing officials to step in and separate them.
Zayas did not answer like that. He held off on reacting, then pointed to that same exchange as evidence that the matchup might not play out the way Ennis expects.
“He has been trying to believe that he is as big as me, that he is as tall as me. He is different. He is different. He saw it today,” said Zayas in a press conference.
The June 27 bout will see Ennis move up to 154 pounds to challenge Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles. While much of the initial attention focused on whether Ennis' skills would improve at welterweight, Zayas focused his message on physical presence and composure.
Although Zayas is only 23 years old, he carries himself with a maturity that usually takes a decade to develop. Ennis was clearly trying to check the young man's chin, figuratively speaking, before they put on the gloves.
Closing that distance and stepping into his space, Bhuti looked for a crack of armor, a blink, a stutter, or a push that would mean Zayas felt the heat.
Instead, Zayas treated it like a simple de-stress session. There are several reasons why his reaction, or lack thereof, is so telling:
Zayas looked physically comfortable. If a guy goes up in weight to fight you and tries to bully you, staying still is a power move. It sends the message “you can't shake me.”
Zayas has been a marked man since signing at the age of 16. He is used to veterans trying to “catch their brother”. He didn't take the bait because he had seen the script before.
By not responding, Zayas essentially turned the pressure back on Ennis. Now, Boot has to wonder why his usual scare tactics didn't come through.
It's a story of top talent trying to harness alpha power against a champion who is perfectly content to let his titles and frame do the talking. If Ennis wanted to be told that Zayas was nervous, he came up empty-handed.
“I feel like he gets frustrated when things don't go his way, and he's going to be really frustrated on June 27,” Zayas said.
Xander tells the world that Ennis has “cause for frustration” when he can't find his rhythm. The two fights against Karen Chukhadzhian are the perfect blueprint for Zayas' argument.
In their first meeting in early 2023, Chukhadzhian's moves and consistent angles overcame Ennis' 19-fight streak. You could see an angry build in Ennis as the rounds approached and the reel-to-reel end remained out of reach.
Even though Ennis won the 2024 rematch in Philly, many described it as a “flat” and “sloppy” performance. Despite the hit, Ennis looked concerned about catching and defensive tactics. He even admitted afterward that it's hard to “stand up” to guys who don't respect him as high-level threats.
If Zayas can make Ennis miss the first few rounds on June 27, look for “Boots” to lose his cool and make the kind of defensive mistakes we've seen in his recent outings.
“Man, to be great, you have to deal with good guys,” Zayas said. “Just take the easy route. I want to do it right. This is how you do it.”
Zayas positions himself as an old-school throwback who looks for big threats while casting a shadow of doubt on Ennis' handling of the job.
Although “Boots” has undeniable talent, the skepticism seen in his work has opened the door for Zayas to attack his “greatness”:
Passing the Vergil Ortiz fight when both were rising rivals is often cited as a missed opportunity to prove that he was the top dog of a new generation.
Whether it was promotional hurdles or strategic waiting, the fact that Ennis didn't share a ring with Terence Crawford while “Bud” held every welterweight card is still a big “what if.”
Stalking instead of challenging the top player as soon as he stepped up gave Zayas clues that Ennis was playing well.
By calling this out publicly, Zayas is trying to get into Ennis' head. In effect, he says, “I'm a little lion looking for smoke, and you're a boy waiting for the right conditions.” It puts pressure on Ennis to not only win, but to be amazing to prove Zayas wrong.
Zayas seems to understand that in today's boxing, fans value the “take all comers” mentality more than an undefeated record against lesser competition.
