Ennis dropped the previously unbeaten champion three times before Xander Zayas’ corner stopped the fight in the seventh round at Barclays Center
Jaron “Boots” Ennis became a unified junior middleweight champion on Saturday night, stopping previously unbeaten Xander Zayas in the seventh round. The Philadelphia star controlled the fight with speed, sharp combinations and body punching. Ennis (36-0, 31 KOs) dropped Zayas (23-1, 13 KOs) three times before the champion’s corner threw in the towel following the final knockdown in round seven.
The fight began at a fast pace, with Ennis landing a sharp counter that sent Zayas to the canvas in the opening round. Zayas got to his feet and survived the remainder of the round, but Ennis had already established control.
Zayas responded over the next several rounds by staying active and attempting to box from the outside. Ennis remained patient, however, using his footwork, feints, and body punching to keep the champion from finding any sustained rhythm.
The challenger widened the gap in the fifth round when he scored another knockdown with a clean shot. Zayas again beat the count and continued fighting, but Ennis repeatedly found openings with accurate combinations as the bout progressed.
The end came in the seventh. Ennis backed Zayas up with a sustained attack and scored a third knockdown after landing another clean combination. Although Zayas rose once more, his corner immediately threw in the towel, ending the fight before additional punishment could be absorbed.
“He hurt me a little bit in the first round, so my legs went away for a couple rounds,” said Zayas after the fight.
“I did feel like I had him hurt. I landed some big shots, but he’s a great champion. He adjusted. He stayed composed.”
Aside from briefly hurting Ennis with a hard shot in the third round, Zayas struggled to slow the Philadelphia native’s offense. Ennis consistently beat him to the punch while mixing head and body attacks throughout the contest.
“My legs went away. Then they told me, ‘Let’s move a little bit.’ That’s why I started doing it again,” said Xander on why he fought aggressively.
“They’re here to save me. They’re literally my three dads in my corner. If they made it, it was because it was time,” said Zayas about his corner’s decision to throw in the towel in the seventh round.
The victory made Ennis a unified champion in a second weight class after previously holding multiple welterweight world titles. It also handed Zayas the first defeat of his professional career after the Puerto Rican entered the bout with an unbeaten 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 accomplishments.
