Jaron Ennis stops Xander Zayas to claim WBA and WBO world titles
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis captured the WBO and WBA super-welterweight titles by stopping the previously unbeaten Xander Zayas in the seventh round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday.
The 28-year-old dropped his Puerto Rican opponent three times during an explosive encounter to secure a signature victory.
The Philadelphia native entered the ring as the clear favourite but was forced to withstand heavy punishment before ultimately breaking the champion down.
Explosive start and middle-round adversity
The former IBF welterweight champion made an immediate impact, switching to a southpaw stance in the opening round before flooring the 23-year-old with a crisp left hand and follow-up combination.
Despite the early setback, the defending champion rallied fiercely and tested his challenger’s chin repeatedly during a punishing third round.
The undefeated American looked unsteady on his feet as he absorbed sustained attacks, proving his resilience under intense pressure.
Relentless pressure forces the stoppage
A short right uppercut in the fifth round sent the titleholder to the canvas for a second time, significantly shifting the momentum.
The decisive moment arrived in round seven when the challenger buried a vicious right hook into his opponent’s body before landing a clinical one-two combination to the head.
Seeing their fighter taking further damage, the corner motioned for the referee to halt the contest, handing the rising star his 36th professional win.
The defeated fighter nodded and offered a wry smile as he suffered the first loss of a promising 24-fight career.
Crawford unimpressed by new champion
Promoter Eddie Hearn holds lofty ambitions for his latest world champion, who missed out on lucrative welterweight unification bouts against domestic rivals in recent years.
However, recently retired boxing great Terence Crawford took to social media to offer a cryptic assessment of the performance.
Ima keep my comments to myself, but yall get it I hope.
Terence Crawford
The former undisputed champion appeared to be referencing the high volume of clean punches the newly crowned titlist absorbed during the bruising encounter.