When asked who looked like the better fighter between Vergil Ortiz Jr., Xander Zayas and Sebastian Fundora, Boots leaned toward Zayas.
“I would say Xander a little bit better than those guys because I feel like he does a little bit more,” Ennis said Ring Champs. “With Ortiz, you know what you’re getting. He comes straight forward.”
Ennis added that Zayas offers more variety than some of the other top names at junior middleweight.
“With Fundora, he’s tall,” says Ennis. “With Xander, I feel like he can box a little bit and he tries to rumble as well.”
The comments come after Ennis secured a fight against Xander Zayas after months of failed negotiations for a clash against Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Boots said several false narratives were created about him during that period, particularly claims that he avoided certain opponents.
“I think people use my name because they think I’m not going to say anything,” Ennis said. “People paint these false narratives.”
Ennis also explained why he dismissed criticism related to the Ortiz situation.
“Why would I turn down a unification to fight for interim in a weight class I’m not even in?” said Ennis. “It makes no sense.”
According to Ennis, talks for the Ortiz fight dragged through several proposed dates before he decided to move in a different direction.
“It was three different dates,” Ennis said. “One in March, one in April and one in May. After the third one, I’m like, ‘Come on, it’s not going to happen.'”
That’s when Ennis told his team to chase Zayas instead.
“I told them, ‘Go get me Xander,'” Ennis said. “It’s the next best thing.”
