Boxing
Xander Zayas braces Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for the shock he's about to feel at 154 pounds
Zayas vs. Ennis: Watch only on DAZN PPV - Saturday
Throughout the promotion to their fight Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York, and live on DAZN PPV, Xander Zayas has expressed the belief that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has been a weight bully at welterweight.
That said, as the larger man, the unified WBA/WBO super welterweight world champion aims to put Ennis in karmic debt this weekend.
Sparks fly as Zayas and Ennis meet
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“I don’t know if he is [underestimating the weight],” Zayas exclusively told DAZN News during the buildup of their bout. “At the end, we gotta step in that ring and see if he could handle the pressure, if he could handle the punching power, if he could handle the offensive entourage I’m going to bring into that night, and the athleticism.”
Ennis only made his 154-pound debut in October, issuing a first-round TKO of a thoroughly outclassed Uisma Lima. Though both Zayas and Ennis are listed at 5-foot-10, the unified champ is expected to rehydrate to a larger weight come Saturday night.
During their launch press conference in April, Ennis insinuated that Zayas’ fight night weight will be more of a detriment than an attribute, additionally vowing that he's not going to miss against the champ.
To that, Zayas wants critics and fight fans alike to know that whether Ennis is concerned with the weight difference or not, he’s going to make sure ‘Boots’ feels every bit like the smaller man Saturday night.
“Yes, I’m going to be bigger than him, but you guys have seen it — I can be athletic, and at any weight I step into the ring,” Zayas boasted. “It doesn’t matter if he wants to discard it; it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t want to look at it in any way.
“We gotta step into that ring and see how things go.”
Will Ennis be in for a shock at 154 pounds?
Analysis: DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla
I see Zayas’ rehydrated weight factoring into the fight’s result in two possible ways. One potential outcome will be that Zayas uses his size to bully ‘Boots,’ smothering the slick Philadelphia fighter and hurting him in the pocket. That’s what the unified super welterweight champ is banking on to retain his titles.
However, the other possibility could have Zayas being a bit too heavy on his feet and Ennis picking him apart with sharply timed output. Though Zayas moves well for a big super welterweight, I lean more toward Ennis using his potshot ability and defensive wizardry to cleanly land and evade harm against the younger fighter.
Effectively sticking and moving should pad any shock and turbulence ‘Boots’ encounters.
Zayas vs. Ennis - watch only on DAZN
Xander Zayas defends his WBO and WBA super welterweight titles against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on Saturday, June 27, exclusively live on DAZN. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Joshua vs. Prenga (July 25) and Canelo vs. M'billi (Sept 12) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
