Men's boxing pound-for-pound rankings: 'Boots' Enn...
Key takeaways
- Ennis scored three knockdowns against Zayas, ending the fight at 1 minute, 49 seconds of Round 7.
- "I wasn't worried about nothing that Xander had," Ennis said after the fight.
- Another fighter who made a statement was Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, who dominated Antonio Vargas in his bantamweight debut.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Jaron "Boots" Ennis, right, defeated Xander Zayas by seventh-round TKO to win the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles. Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images ESPNMultiple Authors Jul 1, 2026, 07:53 AM ETEmail Print Open Extended Reactions Jaron "Boots" Ennis defeated Xander Zayas by seventh-round TKO to become the WBA and WBO junior middleweight champion in just his second fight since moving up from welterweight in October. The victory also helped Ennis to move to No. 7 in the pound-for-pound rankings, ahead of Devin Haney and Junto Nakatani.
Ennis scored three knockdowns against Zayas, ending the fight at 1 minute, 49 seconds of Round 7. Ennis' performance was especially impressive because he overcame a difficult third round, when Zayas landed 26 power punches and appeared to have Ennis in trouble, before turning the tide and winning the rest of the rounds in all judges' scorecards.
"I wasn't worried about nothing that Xander had," Ennis said after the fight. "I wasn't worried about nothing at all. When I fight, I don't worry, man."