The WBO super lightweight champion credited Zayas with taking the fight but clearly sided with Ennis.
“Respect to Xander, a helluva young fighter with the heart of a lion who took this fight,” Stevenson said. “We need more fighters like him in boxing, win or lose, he loves it. Boots different, he’s the hardest fighter to deal with at that weight IMO.”
Ennis moved up from welterweight in October and stopped Uisma Lima in the opening round of his first fight at 154. Zayas holds titles at the weight after decision wins over Jorge Garcia Perez and Abass Baraou.
The two will meet on June 27 and both will put undefeated records on the line.
Ennis enters as the favorite despite Zayas holding belts at the weight. However, Shakur could be wrong with his choice. Ennis had trouble with a fighter with a similar style to Zayas, Karen Chukhadzhian.
While Zayas is often marketed as a traditional offensive Puerto Rican star, his real DNA in the ring has evolved into something much closer to the spoiling style that gave Boots so much trouble in his two fights against Chukhadzhian.
If fans watch how Zayas handled Abass Baraou in January to unify the WBA and WBO titles, he showed the kind of disciplined, out-of-box and lateral movement that Chukhadzhian used to neutralize Ennis’ explosive power.
If Zayas uses the Chukhadzhian movement but adds world-class power and size to it, Ennis could find himself in a technical hole early on. Zayas waits for the opponent to overstretch, something Ennis did frequently in the Chukhadzhian rematch, and punishes them with sharp counters.
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Last updated on 2026/04/13 at 14:42
