Jaron "Boots" Ennis has long been considered one of the top young fighters in boxing, but opportunities for fights on the level of his talent have not yet materialized. On Saturday, Ennis will look to become a world champion in the second weight class of his career when he faces unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas, with the hopes that picking up titles in one of boxing's deepest divisions leads to even bigger fights.
Ennis (35-0, 31 KO) won the interim IBF welterweight championship in a fight with Karen Chukhadzhian in January 2023 before being promoted to full champion. He picked up successful title defenses against Roiman Villa, David Avanesyan and in a rematch with Chukhadzhian before defeating Eimantas Stanionis to unify his IBF title with the WBA championship.
That run of fights defines the problem with Ennis' career to date. While he was fighting in world title fights, he was fighting competition well below the elite level. In part, that's a product of a currently weak welterweight division. Regardless, Ennis' talent is such that fans want to see him in fights that push him.
Ennis broke into the junior middleweight division with an expected quick knockout of Uisma Lima, with the expectation that a huge fight with fellow undefeated star Vergil Ortiz Jr. would follow.
Despite an in-ring faceoff between Ennis and Ortiz, a classic boxing tale followed, with Ortiz's promoter and manager butting heads and leading to the fight being tanked.
Ennis moved on to his next best option, a fight with the tough Zayas (23-0, 13 KO).
Zayas beat Jorge Garcia in July 2025, claiming the WBO title in the process. That win was a solid one and showed that the hype Top Rank had put behind the young Puerto Rican star. Further validating that hype was Zayas' hard-fought split decision win over Abass Baraou to add the WBA title to his collection.
At just 23, Zayas is taking a real risk early in his career by doing what the other elites at 154 would or could not do and facing Ennis. Let's take a closer look at the rest of the undercard for Saturday with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
Zayas vs. Ennis fight card, odds
- Jaron "Boots" Ennis -500 vs. Xander Zayas (c) +350, unified junior middleweight title
- Emiliano Vargas -1400 vs. Bryce Mills +700, junior welterweights
- Jahi Tucker -145 vs. Euri Cedeno +115, middleweights
- Ben Whittaker -2000 vs. Richard Rivera +900, light heavyweights
Prediction
Zayas is a highly skilled fighter for his age, or any age, really. And he deserves a lot of credit for stepping up and taking a fight against a guy who has trouble finding elite opponents. It's not impossible for Zayas to win this fight, his pure boxing skills are that good, but he will need to fight a near-perfect fight to do so. Ennis has shown the ability to be countered and is sometimes irresponsible defensively, not bringing his guard back quickly when throwing shots or even dropping his hands a bit.
Unfortunately for Zayas, Ennis has shown a solid chin and has all of the pure physical advantages, including in power. There will be moments where Zayas looks good and he may get the better of some exchanges, but it's Ennis whose momentum can snowball more effectively and lead to the bigger damage. Zayas may be talented enough to win a few rounds and survive to the final bell, but Ennis could also crack him, hurt him and find the finish. We'll go somewhere in the middle. Pick: Jaron "Boots" Ennis via TKO10
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