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The bout between Xander Zayas and Jaron Ennis has tremendous stakes in the junior middleweight division.
Zayas owns the WBA and WBO 154-pound crowns, while Ennis, a former Ring and unified welterweight champion, is ready to make his mark in a new division.
The winner can even make a strong case to crack the pound-for-pound list as well, and the drama will unfold Saturday at Barclays Center in New York, as part of a DAZN Pay-Per-View/DAZN Ultimate main event.
Roy Jones Jr. delivered many memorable nights during his Hall of Fame career, and he believes the clash between Zayas and Ennis has all the ingredients to be a doozy.
“It’s going to be a barnburner between two unbeaten guys,” Jones told The Ring. “I am very excited for this fight. This fight is going to tell us who we think is technically the best guy in the junior middleweight division.”
Zayas is ranked No. 3 by The Ring at 154 pounds, Ennis is No. 5.
The other titleholders in the weight class include WBC champion Sebastian Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) and IBF titlist Josh Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs); The Ring title is vacant. Vergil Ortiz is considered the uncrowned king of the division, however, as he’s ranked No. 1 by The Ring after solid wins against Israil Madrimov, Erickson Lubin and Serhii Bohachuk.
Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) hasn’t had much time to make his mark at 154 pounds, as he showed up for less than a round of work in October to stop Uisma Lima.
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs), meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back, title-winning performances in a six-month span against Jorge Garcia Perez and Abass Baraou.
“Ennis has all of the intangibles and he's definitely the best, intangibles-wise, in the division,” Jones said. “Some of the things that Boots does resemble me, but I didn't switch hit as much as he does, so he's different — he's Boots. Ennis did take a little bit from my book, which is smart. But at the same time, he's still himself and he tries to make sure you know that he's himself, and he's not trying to copy anybody. Ennis is just trying to be the best that he can be. I love that about Boots.
“I think Boots has everything necessary to dominate the division. Zayas has shown he has everything necessary to dominate the division, too. He already has two titles. Both of these guys have everything necessary to dominate the division. But so does Fundora, and that's what makes everything so interesting.”
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