Jaron “Boots” Ennis believes his upcoming fight against unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas is the start of something much bigger.
“I’m the man in any division I fight in,” Ennis told Matchoom Boxing. “I feel like I’m taking over boxing, starting this Saturday, and you’ll hear the words ‘and the new’.”
Ennis is confident Zayas will discover there is a significant gap between them when they meet at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 27.
“I feel great this weight,” says Ennis. “I’m more comfortable and I do what I want on June 27. Whatever he thinks he’s doing well, I do better. You can’t stick better than me. You’re not faster than me. You’re not smoother than me. You’re not stronger than me. Your defense is no better than mine. Your footwork is no better than mine. It’s levels.”
The Philadelphia native is aiming for a knockout victory and believes Zayas’ WBA and WBO titles will go home with him.
“I’m just excited to fight a guy who’s got two belts, one of the top guys in the division, and I’m ready to shut everybody up,” Ennis said. “Those belts are coming back home to Philly. It’s time to have fun, make it work, look phenomenal, and come home with a big knockout.”
Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) moved up to junior middleweight after finishing his welterweight run as a unified champion. He stopped Eimantas Stanionis in six rounds in their unification bout last April and made a successful 154-pound debut by knocking out Uisma Lima in the opening round last October.
A win over Zayas would make Ennis a two-weight unified champion.
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) unified the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles with a win over Abass Baraou in Puerto Rico in January. The 22-year-old will make the first defense of his unified championship against the most skilled opponent of his career.
The fight headlines a DAZN pay-per-view card from Barclays Center on June 27.
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Last updated on 2026/06/22 at 13:49
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