Xander Zayas vs. Boots Ennis: Junior middleweight title showdown set for June

Unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas will put his WBA and WBO titles on the line against Jaron “Boots” Ennis on June 27. The fight will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The fight is an exciting clash of young, talented fighters that immediately joins the list of the most compelling and exciting fights on the boxing calendar.

Zayas (23-0, 13 KO) beat Jorge Garcia to claim the vacant WBO title at 154 pounds in July 2025. The 23-year-old added the WBA belt to his collection with a competitive split decision victory over Abass Baraou in January.

Ennis (35-0, 31 KO) has proven to be one of the sport’s best fighters. After holding the IBF interim title at welterweight, Ennis was promoted to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated the belt.

Ennis defended the IBF world title twice before defeating Eimantas Stanionis by stoppage to add the WBA title and become unified welterweight champion.

In October, Ennis made his junior middleweight title debut, running through Uisma Lima in less than two minutes.

Ennis has struggled to land big fights matching his talent level. There was talk of a major fight between Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. before ongoing legal disputes between Ortiz and his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, caused those plans to fall through.

In Zayas, Ennis gets a real opponent and an opportunity to become unified champion in the second weight class of his career at just 28 years old.

“Long before I became a world champion,” Zayas said via a press release announcing the bout, “I always sought to face the biggest challenges in my division. I have never shied away from a fight and have always been willing to test my skills against anyone.

“Now, as the unified champion, I am ready to defend my world titles against one of the sport’s biggest names. I have always believed in myself, and on June 27, I will continue to show the world what is possible when you dare to be great!”