Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) is set to challenge WBA and WBO 154-pound champion Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) on June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Their DAZN Pay-Per-View/DAZN Ultimate main event materialized after Ennis moved on from negotiations targeting Garcia’s charge, Vergil Ortiz., once he got entangled in a legal battle with his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.

For the time being, Garcia will sit back and watch two of the top operators at 154 pounds go to work, hoping that he gets a crack at the winner once Ortiz settles his beef with Golden Boy Promotions.

“I give a lot of credit and respect to Zayas for taking this type of fight early in his career, at the age of 23,” Garcia told The Ring. “Zayas said he wanted to fight Vergil in the past, and he’s proving it, that he wants the tough fights. He’s already unified titles and wants to fight Vergil, too, and with that type of mentality, he’s a dangerous fighter.”

DraftKings has installed Philadelphia’s Ennis as more than a 4-1 favorite, but Garcia doesn’t consider Puerto Rico’s Zayas to be much of an underdog.

“It’s not going to be an easy fight for Boots,” he said. “A lot of people are thinking Boots is going to dominate easily. Xander has size and strength and is big enough to compete at 160 pounds. Xander is the bigger man, and that could be the difference. We’ve only seen Boots fight at 154 pounds for two minutes. He’s also never been in a fight where he’s had to really suck it up to win. He’s had great performances, but they haven’t come in tough fights where he’s had to do the extra requirements to pull it off. Boots is so good that he’s beaten everybody pretty comfortably.

“It can turn out to be a 50-50 fight. I still favor Boots, but I think it’s going to be a difficult fight. Xander is getting ready to pull it off — he’s not just looking for a payday. This kid is focused on being the best in the division. Hopefully, it is a close fight because I am excited to see a great fight.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan