With Zayas out of the way, 'Boots' Ennis looks to ...
Key takeaways
- Ennis put Xander Zayas down three times on his way to an emphatic seventh-round stoppage on Saturday to become the unified junior middleweight champion.
- That piques curiosity and excitement for what's next for Boots.
- "I was chilling," Ennis said about the third round.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Jaron "Boots" Ennis, top, dropped Xander Zayas three times and won the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles with a TKO in the seventh round. Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing Andreas Hale Jun 28, 2026, 02:32 AM ETClose Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFor years, Jaron "Boots" Ennis was viewed as a potential top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He just had to prove it.
Ennis put Xander Zayas down three times on his way to an emphatic seventh-round stoppage on Saturday to become the unified junior middleweight champion. The win cemented Ennis' spot on ESPN's list, as he beat a young, undefeated world champion. Ennis showcased superior offensive gifts, gutted out a rough Round 3 against an opponent that refused to go away and regained his composure, throttling Zayas with a wicked assortment of punches to get the stoppage.
While Ennis can now call himself a unified world champion in a second weight class and one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the sport, the fight with Zayas also showed vulnerability, flaws that his future opponents can take advantage of. That piques curiosity and excitement for what's next for Boots.