Xander Zayas’ odds against Jaron Ennis are getting harder to ignore

“I might just be starting to realize that Zayas has a better chance than most people are giving him,” Chris Mannix said on DAZN‘s Beyond The Bell.

Mannix also revealed that confidence is growing within Zayas’ camp as the fight approaches.

“When I talk to people in his camp, they say he’s having the best camp he’s ever had, that he’s as motivated as he’s ever been. He’s hearing all the doubters. He’s seeing all the social media activity,” Chris said.

Former world champion Sergio Mora agreed that Zayas brings unique challenges to the game, pointing to his size advantage over Ennis.

“He’s obviously a bigger fighter. He’s going to push Boots back. We’ve seen Boots get hit,” Mora said. “Can he take the punches of a bigger fighter like Xander Zayas, who is just full of confidence?”

Zayas enters the fight as a career junior middleweight, while Ennis prepares for only his second appearance at 154 pounds after moving up from welterweight earlier this year. Although Ennis remains the betting favourite, the bout has become one of the most anticipated fights of the summer.

The winner will leave Brooklyn with Ennis’ unified WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles and take a big step toward becoming the division’s top attraction.