The unbeaten champion says every fight has prepared him for Ennis ahead of their June 27 showdown
Xander Zayas says Jaron “Boots” Ennis is the toughest opponent he has faced as a professional. The unbeaten champion believes every step of his career has prepared him for the June 27 fight against the former welterweight titleholder.
“He’s the hardest opponent in my career,” said Zayas during a behind-the-scenes look at his training camp released by Matchroom Boxing. “Every fight was a step into that direction and obviously facing somebody like Boots, former world champion coming up to a new weight class and wanting to be the king of the weight class is obviously challenging because you know he’s coming with his best.
“But you got to expect the best out of me and I promise it’s going to bring the best version out of Xander Zayas.”
Rather than treating the fight as something different from previous camps, Zayas said he has approached preparation in the same way that carried him to the biggest opportunity of his career.
“Same focus, same hunger, same dedication, same everything,” said Zayas. “Nothing changes. It’s another fight, most important fight of my career. But every fight is important. Nothing different. I got to keep being who I am, being true to myself, know what works for me, exploit it.
“That’s what it comes down to. I know who I am, I know what I put myself through every camp and I know put the shifts when I need to put the shifts, so whatever he says won’t affect me because I’ve been here before. I’ve been here since I was 16 years old.”
Ennis enters the fight after moving up from welterweight, where he held world titles before targeting a run at the top of the 154-pound division. Zayas views that ambition as part of what makes the matchup so dangerous, but he also sees it as the fight his career has been preparing him for all along.
