Jaron Ennis Fight Not ‘About the Money’, Says Xander Zayas

Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) is all set to defend his unified WBA and WBO super welterweight titles against Jaron Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on June 27. But what pushed the 23-year-old from Puerto Rico to pick a rather risky fight with an unbeaten opponent?

Sitting down face-to-face with Ennis for DAZN, Zayas revealed that money was not the reason why the fight was lucrative.

“It’s never been about the money. Never. I mean, when I fought for the two belts it was never about the money. When they gave me the Vergil Ortiz fight it wasn’t about the money, Sebastian Fundora, wasn’t about the money,” he said. “Boots, it’s not about the money. It’s about the legacy. I want to be the best and this is how you make it happen.”

Part of the reason Zayas’ claim about making the fight about legacy resonates is that it is genuinely a risky fight for both men. Zayas is only 23 and already a unified champion, while Ennis could have taken a softer route after moving up from welterweight. Instead, both agreed to a high-risk, high-reward unification fight that many promoters would normally postpone for a few years.

However, fight night is not going to be an easy one for Ennis, or so says Zayas. In fact, he has a rather sinister idea up his sleeve.

“He’s going to get to a point where his head, his brain won’t be able to give him the answers he’s looking for, his body won’t be able to react. And when that time comes, he’s in deep waters now, he’s in trouble. And then that’s when his heart is going to come with me. He’s not going to be able to handle it,” he said.

“A Whole Different Story”

A rather juicy addition to the beef in the lead-up to their fight is Zayas’ claim that Ennis is a “weight bully” at 147 pounds, who benefited from being larger than his opponents. Speaking face-to-face, he doubled down on his statement while also urging that the odds are very different this time around.

“He was. Look at Stanionis, look at all the guys he’s faced at ‘47. He was way bigger, way more athletic than all those guys and they going in there thinking or knowing ‘once you hit me, I don’t want to get hit no more, that’s it.’ When you got a guy as big as you, as athletic as you, as hungry as you, it’s a whole different story,” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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