Eddie Hearn expects unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas to enjoy a significant size advantage come fight night, predicting the undefeated titleholder could rehydrate as much as 175 pounds before he steps into the ring against Jaron “Boots” Ennis at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
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Despite the projected difference in size, Hearn made it clear that he still expects Ennis to emerge victorious.
“I know Boots will win. It’s just the way he does it, but you have to respect Xander. He’s a big guy. He’ll rehydrate tomorrow to 170 pounds, 175 pounds, and be on. Boots is a big guy, too. He’s not making the weight easily at 154, but he’s a lot more comfortable than he feels at 147 media,” he said. scrum
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) weighed in at 153.8 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-in, while Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) came in at 153 pounds. Under New York rules, both fighters are free to make weight before entering the ring, leading Hearn to believe the champion will carry a significant size advantage by the first bell.
Hearn also praised Ennis’ preparation for the biggest fight of his career, claiming the former welterweight champion has looked exceptional in training camp.
“He sparred heavyweights and light heavyweights. He knocked them out cleanly,” Hearn said. “But listen, sparring is sparring. You can talk to anybody in the game. Everybody knows how good Jaron Ennis is, but he has to show it. You can talk about how good a guy is, but you still have to go out and perform against really good fighters. I’m not saying it’s going to be a walk in the park, but don’t be surprised if it is.”
Asked if Ennis could use a win to call out Terence Crawford, Hearn downplayed that possibility while suggesting the former undisputed welterweight champion had probably moved on from boxing.
“It’s very hard to call out a retired fighter, but Boots really isn’t that guy either,” Hearn said. “But if he stands in the middle of the ring after putting on a performance for the ages and says, ‘Crawford, come out of retirement, and we’re going to make the biggest fight in the sport,’ I think it will break the Internet. But I feel like Crawford is retired. We need to focus on the division and the championships and the fighters that are active.”
Eddie Hearn vacates Usyk, what it means for Joshua, Boots-Crawford and more pic.twitter.com/V1Lu2mlYeL
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) June 27, 2026
Last updated on 06/27/2026 at 12:27 p.m
