“All of the fighters that he has knocked out, all of the fighters that he has fought within the last 10 fights where he actually began fighting big names, they’re all tailor-made for him,” Zayas said to Fight Hub TV. “None of those fighters fight like me.”
Zayas said that lots of Ennis’ recent rivals were smaller pressure fighters who had to return forward, which he views as a positive search for Ennis.
“I’m a boxer-puncher. I do know counter. I do know use my speed. I do know use my jab,” Zayas said.
The 23-year-old also argued that Ennis had more difficulty when facing opponents who could operate at range, referencing past criticism of the Karen Chukhadzhian fights.
“When he did have a man that was capable of fight on the surface, he struggled,” Zayas said.
The Karen Chukhadzhian rematch in late 2024 was a large eye-opener for anyone who thought Boots was an invincible boogeyman. While Ennis got the choice, he looked human. He was getting tagged with clean shots, his face was marked up, and he appeared to lose his composure attempting to force a knockout that never got here.
Zayas is wise to capitalize on that narrative. Taking a look at Ennis’ resume, you’ll be able to see why Xander feels this fashion. A lot of the guys Boots has flattened, like Roiman Villa and even Eimantas Stanionis, were essentially walking into his range. They weren’t giving him many lateral movement puzzles to resolve.
Xander is betting that his boxing IQ and length will frustrate Ennis the identical way Chukhadzhian did, but with the added threat of his own power. If Ennis hasn’t tightened up that defensive carelessness he showed in his previous couple of fights, Zayas could be the one to finally make him pay for it.
