Xander Zayas promises the best version for Jaron Ennis

“He’s the toughest opponent in my career,” Zayas said during a behind-the-scenes look at his training camp released by Matchroom Boxing. “Every fight has been a step in that direction and of course it’s challenging to face someone like Boots, former world champion coming to a new weight class and wanting to be the king of the weight class, obviously challenging because you know he’s coming with his best.

“But you have to expect the best from me and I promise it will bring out the best version of Xander Zayas.”

Rather than treat the fight as something different from previous camps, Zayas said he approached preparation in the same way that carried him to the biggest event of his career.

“Same focus, same hunger, same dedication, same everything,” Zayas said. “Nothing changes. This is another fight, the most important fight of my career. But every fight is important. Nothing else. I have to keep being who I am, be true to myself, know what works for me, exploit it.

“That’s what it comes down to. I know who I am, I know what I put myself through every camp and I know put the shifts when I have to put the shifts, so whatever he says won’t affect me because I’ve been here before. I’ve been here since I was 16 years old.”

Ennis enters the fight after moving up from welterweight, where he held world titles before aiming for a run at the top of the 154-pound division. Zayas sees that ambition as part of what makes the game so dangerous, but he also sees it as the fight his career has always prepared him for.