Jaron “Boots” Ennis put on one of the best performances of his career on Saturday night, stopping previously unbeaten Xander Zayas in the seventh round to capture the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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Ennis (36-0, 31 KOs) dropped Zayas (23-1, 13 KOs) three times before the champion’s corner threw in the towel after the final takedown in the seventh round.
The fight started at a fast pace, with Ennis landing a sharp counter that sent Zayas to the canvas in the opening round. Zayas got up and survived the rest of the round, but Ennis had already established control.
Zayas responded over the next few rounds by staying active and trying to box from the outside. However, Ennis remained patient and used his footwork, finesse and bodywork to prevent the champion from finding any sustained rhythm.
The challenger widened the gap in the fifth round when he scored another takedown with a clean shot. Zayas again beat the count and continued to fight, but Ennis repeatedly found openings with accurate combinations as the match progressed.
The end came in the seventh. Ennis backed up Zayas with a sustained attack and scored a third takedown after landing another clean combination. Although Zayas got back up, his corner immediately threw in the towel and ended the fight before additional punishment could be absorbed.
Aside from briefly hurting Ennis with a hard shot in the third round, Zayas struggled to slow down the Philadelphia native’s offense. Ennis beat him consistently throughout the contest, mixing head and body attacks.
The win made Ennis a unified champion in a second weight class after previously holding several welterweight world titles. It also handed Zayas the first loss of his professional career as the Puerto Rican entered the bout with an undefeated record and two world championships.
After the fight, Ennis celebrated another statement victory as he added the WBA and WBO titles at 154 pounds to his growing collection of achievements.
Last updated on 06/28/2026 at 12:20 p.m
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