Ennis dropped the previously unbeaten Zayas three times before a seventh-round corner stoppage crowned him WBA and WBO champion at 154 pounds
Jaron “Boots” Ennis (36-0, 31 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Xander Zayas (23-1, 13 KOs) in the seventh round on Saturday night, scoring three knockdowns to capture the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles. The dominant victory made Ennis a unified champion in his second weight class and handed Zayas the first defeat of his professional career.
The fight swung in Ennis’ favor almost immediately. A sharp counter in the opening round sent Zayas to the canvas and forced the defending champion to fight from behind for the remainder of the contest.
Zayas showed determination by working his way back into several exchanges during the middle rounds and briefly caught Ennis with a solid shot in the third. It proved to be his best moment of the fight, but Ennis quickly regained control with accurate counterpunching and steady body work.
“I don’t want to make no excuses and say I’m going to move up, and that was the reason that I lost the fight. I lost the fight fair and square,” said Zayas in refusing to blame his loss on his weight.
“I don’t know. I’m going to take some time off. 154, 160, doesn’t matter,” said Xander on whether he’ll move up to 160 after the loss.
“Congratulations to Boots. He did what he needed to do, and he deserved the victory tonight. He won like the champion that he is, and I lost like a gentleman that I am,” said Zayas.
Another knockdown in the fifth round widened Ennis’ lead. Although Zayas beat the count for a second time, he continued taking clean punches as Ennis controlled the distance and dictated the pace.
The finish came in the seventh when Ennis backed Zayas toward the ropes and landed another combination that produced the third knockdown of the fight. As Zayas climbed to his feet, his corner elected to stop the contest rather than allow him to continue.
The victory gives Ennis the biggest win of his career since moving up to 154 pounds and establishes him as a unified champion in a second weight class. Zayas suffered the first defeat of his professional career but showed toughness by rising after all three knockdowns before his corner intervened.
“And he’s not flat-footed. It was just a promotional thing,” said Zayas, confessing that he’d only said that Ennis was flat-footed during the buildup to their fight to help market it to the fans.
