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Emiliano Vargas and Xander Zayas formed a friendship while coming up together under the Top Rank umbrella. The dynamic duo even made a cameo during Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show in February.
The next adventure Vargas and Zayas will take as a tandem arrives Saturday, when they star in separate fights at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as part of a DAZN Pay-Per-View/DAZN Ultimate main event.
Zayas, the WBA and WBO 154-pound champion, will take on Jaron Ennis in the main event, while Vargas (17-0, 14 KOs), a junior welterweight contender and The Ring’s 2025 Prospect of the Year, takes on Bryce Mills (22-1, 9 KOs) in the co-feature.
“I'm very happy for Xander and have the utmost respect for him. No doubt, I'm pulling for Xander,” Vargas told The Ring. “That's a big fight, and a lot of people wouldn't make that fight if they were in Xander's shoes. Ennis doesn’t have a belt, and Xander has two of them.”
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) has built considerable momentum following back-to-back decision wins overJorge Garcia Perez for the vacant WBO title last July and Abass Baraou for the WBA belt in January. But Ennis is considered one of the most gifted fighters in the world and a future pound-for-pound star.
Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) made his 154-pound debut in October and stopped Uisma Lima inside one round following a welterweight title run during which he collected The Ring, IBF, and WBA titles.
“It could be a decision or a possible late stoppage win for Xander,” Vargas said. “I just think that Xander's time is now. I'm biased because he's a friend of mine. At the end of the day, I've seen how he operates. He truly believes he can beat Boots, and I believe him.
"Look, it's a tough fight. A different side of Xander is going to have to come out for this. He's going to have to go to work.”
Oddsmakers believe Zayas will have his work cut out for him, as he’s listed as a +300 betting underdog; Ennis is a -425 favorite.
“I'm not here to discredit Boots or say he's overhyped,” Vargas said. “He's a tremendous fighter, and that's what makes this fight even more special for Xander. Boots is a tough, switch-hitting, and slick counter-puncher who has power in both hands. Xander is going to have to break down the body in a way we haven't seen before, and he can do that.”
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