Philly’s Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will fight champion Xander Zayas on June 27 at Barclays Center
A former welterweight champ, Ennis will seek the super-welterweight crown against another undefeated boxer. His promoter calls the fight "a summer blockbuster."
Jaron Ennis was unable to secure his first Las Vegas main event, but the Philadelphia boxer landed a solid consolation prize: a chance to win a world title in a second weight class against an unbeaten champion in New York.
Ennis will challenge WBA and WBO super welterweight champ Xander Zayas on June 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Ennis (35-0, 31 knockouts) was being positioned to meet WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz this spring in Vegas, but talks stalled when Ortiz’s promotional contract went to litigation.
So Ennis will meet Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) in the main event on DAZN pay-per-view. A former welterweight champ, the 28-year-old “Boots” Ennis can become a champ at 154 pounds.
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“Zayas vs. Boots is everything fans want in a summer blockbuster — two elite level champions, fighting for multiple world titles, staged in an iconic backdrop, New York,” Alfie Sharman, vice president of DAZN, said on Monday.
Ennis debuted last October at super welterweight by scoring a first-round KO against the overmatched Uisma Lima. Ennis will be more than 12 months removed from his stoppage of Eimantas Stanionis by the time he meets Zayas.
Ennis, who grew up in Germantown, has struggled to find consistent quality opposition because of his previous management contracts or the deals signed by the fighters he targeted. Finally, Ennis has the chance to get the fights he wants.
“Time to step and collect these belts” Ennis said in a statement. “Knocking them down one by one.”
It would be expected that Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, would again look for his fighter to meet Ortiz (24-0, 22 KOs) if Ennis tops Zayas in Brooklyn. Winning those two fights would make Ennis, who is starting to appear on some pound-for-pound rankings, one of the sport’s biggest stars.
“What a fight” Hearn said. “I’m thrilled to be able to get this fight made for Jaron — this is exactly the kind of occasion that brings the very best out of a future pound-for-pound No. 1. Boots shone so brightly against Stanionis in Atlantic City in his first unification fight, and I expect him to light up Brooklyn on June 27.”
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Zayas, 23, won the WBO 154-pound title in July against Jorge Garcia Perez at Madison Square Garden and added the WBA crown in January in a fight in his native Puerto Rico against Abass Baraou. Until now, Stanionis was Ennis’ stiffest challenge. Zayas is a step up from that. And Ortiz will be another level. The next few months could be career defining for the Philly fighter.
“Long before I became a world champion,” Zayas said in a statement, “I always sought to face the biggest challenges in my division. I have never shied away from a fight and have always been willing to test my skills against anyone. Now, as the unified champion, I am ready to defend my world titles against one of the sport’s biggest names. I have always believed in myself, and on June 27, I will continue to show the world what is possible when you dare to be great.”