Image courtesy of Top Rank Boxing
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Having been around the block in boxing longer than most, I can’t recall a “Loser Leaves Town” fight in quite a while. But that “tag” seems to apply to the 154 lb. battle between unbeaten’s Xander Zayas and Jaron Ennis
ONE GUY’S GLOSSY OF LATE, OTHER NOT SO MUCH? Jaron Ennis ran off 20 wins before stepping up to world-class fighters. After a welterweight (147) run, he is either the A or B side of the junior middleweight (154) picture with Zayas. Now 35-0 with 21 whacks, some think Ennis is destined for greatness. But there are also the non-believers bellowing, “Not So Fast.”
FOUGHT A BOY NAMED KAREN! Now 28 years of age, the best fighter Ennis has faced in 35 scraps is a guy named Karen. Jaron defeated Karen Chukhadzhian (26-4, 14 KOs) once in 2023 & again in 2024 with both wins being 12 round Unanimous Decisions. His last fight versus “hapless” Uisma Lima (16-2, 11 KOs) of Angola lasted just 1:58 or TKO 1.
ZAYAS APPEARS TO “BE GROWING” 23-year-old Xander Zayas is a Puerto Rican fighter with both looks and ability. Never “real cut or buffed” per se, the 23-0 (13 KOs) Xander is obviously bulking up “body-wise” as he preps for Ennis June 27th in Brooklyn & on DAZN.
STRUGGLED WITH C+ FIGHTER Last time out in his native Puerto Rico, Zayas had problems with unheralded Abass Baraou (17-2, 9 KOs) as one judge thought enough to give Abass, a Black German native 8 rounds or a 116-112 score, making it a Split Decision 12 round win for Xander as the other two jurists had Zayas winning 116-112.
MAKE OR BREAK FIGHT FOR BOTH? And based on the pair’s last outings, the Las Vegas bookies have tabbed Jaron a 3-1 favorite. Had Zayas not looked “so ordinary” vs Abass, this fight would’ve been “close” in the Vegas sportsbooks.
ENNIS LOOKS LIKE HE HAS “THE EDGE,” But does he? Zayas looks like a reasonable facsimile of Oscar De La Hoya, meaning he’s good-looking. But the $64,000 question at hand here is this: Can Xander Zayas fight at a world-class level? Come June 27, we’re going to find out!
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Pedro Fernandez
Note: Mr. Fernandez is a multi-award-winning writer whose career in journalism has taken him to 34 countries. He is also a former San Francisco Policeman who was Muhammad Ali’s “Executive Protection” & “Publicist” on some international junkets. Pedro also attained a National Ranking and, along the way, snagged 4 Golden Gloves championships.
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