Promoter Bob Arum says Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis would be a “major fight” now that “Boots’ has moved up to 154. What the Top Rank boss, Arum, isn’t saying is when he would be ready to pull the trigger on allowing his fighter, Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), to fight Ennis.
Ennis Fight Unlikely for Zayas
The Puerto Rican-born Zayas didn’t look anywhere near ready to fight a talent like Boots Ennis or any of the other champions at 154. Many of the top 15 contenders would likely easily beat Xander as well. He looked like a classic example of a phony fighter that was created through careful matchmaking, a lot of luck in terms of the WBO ranking the limited fighter, Jorge Garcia, #2, rather than Israil Madrimov, Erickson Lubin, or Serhii Bohachuk.
“That would be really good. Ennis is a really good fighter. That would be a major fight,” said promoter Bob Arum to YSM Sports Media when asked last Saturday night about his thoughts on a fight between Xander Zayas and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
There is no chance that Arum will ever allow Boots Ennis to fight Zayas or any of the other talented contenders or champions unless Turki Alalshikh takes an interest in paying a fortune to finance a fight of that kind. Arum is trying to turn Zayas into a money maker on the East Coast to take advantage of the large Puerto Rican population in the New York area. If he can prop Xander up long enough with soft matchmaking, he’ll bring in millions to Top Rank.
Arum: Zayas’s Next Fight in Puerto Rico
“I don’t know about the opponent, but I want to make his first title defense in Puerto Rico this winter,” said Arum about who the newly crowned WBO junior middleweight champion Zayas will fight next.
Xander, 22, looked like a frightened rabbit last Saturday, running and clinching all night in his 12-round unanimous decision over Jorge Garcia at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.
Zayas appeared exhausted in the championship rounds from the combination of the pressure that Garcia was putting on him and the movement that he was forced to use to avoid getting knocked out. The judges gave Zayas a 12-round decision by the scores 116-112, 118-110, and 119-109.
