BROOKLYN, NY — Xander Zayas went down three times at the Barclays Center Saturday night, the first was in the opening round from a straight left hook and right hand power punches from challenger Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. The 23-year-old WBO and WBA unified 154-pound champion, in front of a sold out and electric crowd, live on DAZN PPV, saw his titles quickly slipping away.
But the Puerto Rican was relentless. Zayas wasn’t hurt, perhaps stunned because Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs), the 29-year-old and former unified welterweight champion, was the challenge he requested in his second title defense. The power punches from Ennis continued, two more knockdowns after the first round and Zayas’ corner threw in the towel at the 1:49 mark of the seventh round.
Despite taking the first loss of his career, Xander Zayas showed the heart of champion against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis Saturday night in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing
The titles for now are not with Zayas, a towel ending was not the conclusion he had imagined. There is much ahead with speculation he will move up and test the middleweight division. Ennis meanwhile continues to establish superstar status and is in discussions as the pound-for-pound best with mega fights on the horizon.
Zayas sustained his first defeat (23-1, 13 KOs), leaving the ring surrounded with cheers from a dominant crowd of Puerto Ricans and fans who have followed his journey, though because of precaution, entered an ambulance and was sent to a local hospital for observation.
No head down, no shame and Zayas should be proud.
He’s represented Puerto Rico throughout this journey as the second youngest champion in boxing, has pride, determination, and is young enough to take on his next challenge after some needed time with his family, away from the gym and ring.
Xander Zayas walked out to a Puerto Rican favored Barclays Center crowd Saturday night alongside Eladio Carrión, a prominent Puerto Rican figure in the Latin trap and reggaeton scene – Image Credit: Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing
Perhaps this championship defense and opponent was too difficult of a challenge, though Zayas vouched for this fight when Ennis could not cut a deal and challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr.—a fight that will eventually occur. Ortiz and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions have come to peace after a nasty contract dispute.
Leave that though for another time because the boxing world is talking about Saturday night’s third round in Brooklyn. Zayas had Ennis on the ropes and was in the works of a huge comeback that saw determination to not surrender his titles. And the crowd got behind every second of it.
But Zayas, unable to stop Ennis, will learn from this. Similar to what a young 23-year-old Canelo Alvarez experienced in a failed quest to dethrone Hall of Famer and undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was 36 during their bout back in September of 2013.
We all know the chronicled history of Alvarez, the first undisputed and unified 168-pound champion in the four belt title era who had a prolonged reign as the face of boxing. That title could now go to Ennis, the latest of great champions from the city of Philadelphia.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis put on a show Saturday night in Brooklyn, proving once again why he is amongst one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport – Image Credit: Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing
Pound-for pound best? Debatable of course but good for boxing talk.
“I appreciate Xander Zayas; he put on a great fight,” said Ennis after the win. “He didn’t have to take this fight, he could have taken someone way easier.”
In a third round and fight that will be remembered in boxing annals, Ennis was a victim of a Zayas right hand that forced him to put his foot on the pedal. Ennis was in trouble or in other words, in survival mode, and appeared to be hurt. After that first round, Zayas had his opening to leave the ring again as a champion.
“An exciting fight, what a round (three),” Teofimo Lopez said to me afterwards, the former and unified junior welterweight champion. He and many other popular names in the sport were at ringside, standing for it all. They would all agree, it was an epic round and great night for boxing.
It wasn’t an epic Hagler-Hearns or Leonard-Durán round when boxing was king in the 1980’s era, but good enough to cause that boxing buzz.
It was all respect between Xander Zayas and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis after their main event Saturday night at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing
However, not epic enough for Zayas to retain the titles. A young Zayas who proudly held the belts, won the WBO title last July by defeating Jorge Garcia via split decision at Madison Square Garden—a venue that has been his second home. He won the WBA title after a split-decision victory over Abass Baraou in an early January homecoming in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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More relentless body shots from an orthodox stance, Zayas went down again in round five, while still recovering from a fourth round onslaught. But that told the story because the ensuing rounds took a toll, his corner and doctors looking at stopping the onslaught. It was a one-sided fight for Ennis, though never tell that to Zayas.
“Thank you to everybody that showed up, it was an amazing night,” Zayas said in the ring. “I showed tonight that with dreams, you dream big, sometimes you come up short but it’s part of the journey. Congratulations to Boots, he did what he needed to do… He’s a great champion. He was quick and able to cut the ring. Gonna go back to the drawing board and try to get better. My corner felt it was the right decision (to stop the fight) and I can’t argue that.”
Indeed, his corner decided it was enough. Zayas wasn’t going to win this fight despite all the resilience of not surrendering his championship titles. Rather a healthy Zayas is the proper approach and good for boxing because more significant and lucrative opportunities await.
Championships are his destiny and this loss will not define or alter his legacy.
VARGAS CONTINUES TO RISE
Emilano Vargas will soon be in the company of Zayas, the two are friends and stable mates under the Top Rank Boxing banner. The 22-year-old sensation (18-0, 15 KOs), and son of former Hall of Fame champion Fernando Vargas, made another statement live on DAZN PPV, stopping Bryce Mills in the fourth round.
The junior welterweight warmed up the crowd prior to Zayas vs. Ennis, knocking down Mills twice after a flurry of punches in the southpaw stance. By retaining two of the alphabet soup titles (not WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO), the win now puts Vargas in title contention.
“I just want to be great,” he said. “The sky’s the limit.”
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X:@Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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