Jaron Ennis gives himself C+ despite dominating title-winning performance over Xander Zayas

“I’d probably give myself like a C … C-plus,” Ennis said at the post-fight press conference. “I know I’m a lot better than that. I got in the corner a little bit. They told me to use speed, and I threw one shot. Those are the shots you don’t see. I should have used a little more speed.”

Ennis admitted he drifted away from the game plan at times by looking for power instead of relying on his hand speed, something he plans to rectify before his next outing.

The 29-year-old knocked Zayas down with a sharp counter in the opening round, scored another takedown in the fifth, and finished the job in the seventh after a third trip to the canvas prompted Zayas’ corner to stop the fight. Although Zayas briefly buzzed him in the third round, Ennis insisted afterwards that he was never in serious trouble.

“I was chilling,” Ennis said. “I just got a little lazy inside. I got caught with a good shot, but I was cool.”

The victory made Ennis a unified champion in a second weight class after previously holding unified titles at welterweight. Even after adding two more world championships to his resume, he made it clear that his work at 154 pounds is just beginning.

Ennis said his goal remains to become the undisputed champion, although he also wants a showdown with Virgil Ortiz Jr. welcomed if the title fights cannot be made.