Jaron “Boots” Ennis is a two-weight unified champion, and he made the second title run look almost as routine as the first. Moving up to 154lbs, Ennis stopped previously unbeaten Xander Zayas in the seventh round at the Barclays Center to add the WBO and WBA super welterweight titles to his collection, in a performance that answered any lingering questions about how he’d handle the step up.
A Statement From the Opening Bell
Ennis wasted no time asserting himself, switching to southpaw midway through the first round and dropping Zayas twice before the round was out. It was an ominous start for a fighter making his own case as one of the division’s brightest prospects, and it set the tone for a fight in which Ennis was rarely troubled for long.
Zayas Finds Moments, But Not Enough
To his credit, Zayas didn’t fold. He hurt Ennis in round three with a sharp counter right hand and had spells where he looked capable of turning the fight, trading in the pocket rather than retreating. But Ennis regained full control in round five with a body shot and left uppercut combination that visibly changed the fight’s complexion, and from there the gap between the two only grew.
A Voluntary Knee Ends It
The finish came in round seven, when a clean flurry from Ennis prompted Zayas to take a knee, and his corner threw in the towel rather than risk further punishment. It was a sensible, uncontroversial stoppage that left no room for debate about the outcome. Ennis improved to 37-0 with 33 knockouts; Zayas suffers the first loss of his career, dropping to 23-2.
Graceful in Defeat, Ambitious in Victory
Zayas took the loss well, saying afterwards that Ennis “won like the champion that he is.” Ennis, for his part, sounded like a fighter already looking past the achievement: “It’s a blessing to be a two-time unified champion,” he said, before naming his next target: a unification fight with fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz Jr that would put all four 154lb titles on the line. On this evidence, few would bet against him getting there.