Zayas signals progress toward June 27 fight with Ennis emerging as likely opponent

Xander Zayas posted a video of himself signing a fight contract ahead of his expected June 27 return in New York. The clip points to movement toward a confirmed bout.

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While not named in the clip, all signs point to Jaron “Boots” Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs). Since Ennis’s planned fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. fell through due to legal issues, his team has pivoted toward Zayas.

Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) unified the WBO and WBA junior middleweight titles in January and has been linked to a New York return for his first defense as a unified titleholder. Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), the IBF champion, has been tied to the same date in multiple reports.

Reports indicate that while Zayas and his father are pushing hard for this fight, some matchmakers on the other side are still weighing the risks of putting an elite talent like Ennis against a younger, unified champion so soon.

it’s a rare meeting of two undefeated, elite fighters in their prime. At just 23, Zayas is taking a massive leap in competition to prove he belongs at the very top. For Ennis, fter a frustrating period of inactivity, this gives him the high-profile, multi-belt opportunity he has been chasing.

Promoter Eddie Hearn recently mentioned that a “Boots” fight is imminent and that June is the target. We should see an official announcement by the end of next week if the Barclays Center date holds.

The ball is officially in the Ennis camp’s court. While Xander is putting pen to paper and hyping up the New York crowd, the situation on the other side of the table is a bit more complicated than just signing a paper.

While Zayas and his father are practically beating down the door for this fight, reports suggest the hesitation is coming from the Ennis decision-makers. They see Zayas as a “high-risk, medium-reward” opponent. Zayas is a unified champion with massive momentum.

Even though it’s a great fight for the fans, it might not offer the same massive payday as a Vergil Ortiz Jr. clash or a shot at the remaining belts held by Josh Kelly or the winner of Fundora-Thurman.

It really comes down to whether Ennis wants to take the “dangerous young lion” route to become a two-division champion or if his team prefers a “safer” path to a different belt first. Given his frustration with inactivity lately, jumping into a June 27 headliner at the Barclays Center seems like the logical move to reclaim his superstar status.