Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis

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The young 23-year-old Xander is on a steady progression, having significantly raised the level of his competition in his last two matches. Fight in back-to-back title fights.

First defeating Jorge Garcia Perez for the vacant WBO junior middleweight championship and then unifying the WBA title against Abass Baraou. The title bouts were the first 12-rounders of his career. He was tested by both, but none more than by Baraou, who landed the most by a Zayas opponent, 134.

Abass had some familiarity with Xander, having previously played 80 rounds against him, and knew where potential weaknesses existed. When pushed with the right amount of pressure, Zayas tends to get sloppy defensively. His footwork suffers, and he can get caught on angle changes. He should do much better against Boots, who have great speed and agility.

Xander believes he can outbox Jaron at mid to long range due to what he sees as a poor performance by Boots in the first Karen Chukhadzhian match. Zayas believes Ennis has struggled to close the distance and effectively told Showbizz The Adult in “Run the Tape” that he feels Boots is smooth at short to mid range but struggles at long range. However, perception can sometimes be deceiving.

It was Jaron’s first fight to go the distance at twelve rounds. It may not have been his most dominant performance as Karen opted to limit the exchanges, but he managed to outscore him 203 to 97. Holding Chukhadzhian to a low 16.9 percent connect percentage.

In comparison, Zayas had two 12-round bouts, and both went the distance. Statistically, they were much closer than the Ennis-Chukhadzhian match, as Xander defeated his opponents by closer margins, outscoring Perez by 69 and Baraou by 42 (Compubox).

Although Xander may be athletic and strong, it may not be enough against a fighter of Boots’ caliber. He faces an excellent fighter who is a challenge for anyone. Jaron is extremely skilled and has the ability to box in both the orthodox and southern stances. When comparing speed, agility, evasion and experience, Ennis will hold the edge in all of those categories.

He also has a strike rate of 88.57 percent, making Boots the most dangerous
warrior Zayas had ever faced. Ennis is a complete boxer, and he will exploit Xander’s weaknesses by using applied pressure to create openings.

If he attacks the body, Boots will be able to slow Zayas down and limit his mobility. The pitch will be key for Jaron; he needs to land it effectively to be able to disrupt Xander’s rhythm and make it difficult for him.

Although he chose the fight in pursuit of greatness, it may be too soon against someone as skilled as Boots. This was the fight Jaron had been waiting for, and now that it’s here, he’ll try to take advantage of the opportunity and show the world he’s special.