Eddie Hearn expects unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas to enjoy a big size advantage by fight night, predicting the unbeaten titleholder could rehydrate to as much as 175 kilos before moving into the ring against Jaron “Boots” Ennis on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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Despite the projected disparity in size, Hearn made it clear he still expects Ennis to emerge victorious.
“I do know Boots will win. It’s just how he does it, but you will have to respect Xander. He’s a giant guy. He’ll rehydrate tomorrow to 170 kilos, 175 kilos, and be on. Boots can be a giant guy. He doesn’t make the burden easy at 154, but he’s so much more comfortable than he was at 147. He feels phenomenal,” Hearn said during a Friday media scrum.
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) weighed 153.8 kilos at Friday’s official weigh-in, while Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) got here in at 153 kilos. Under Latest York rules, each fighters are free to regain weight before entering the ring, leading Hearn to imagine the champion will hold a substantial size advantage by the primary bell.
Hearn also praised Ennis’ preparation for the largest fight of his profession, claiming the previous welterweight champion has looked exceptional in training camp.
“He’s been sparring heavyweights and light-weight heavyweights. He’s been knocking them clean out,” said Hearn. “But listen, sparring is sparring. You may refer to anyone in the sport. Everybody knows how good Jaron Ennis is, but he’s got to indicate it. You may speak about how good a man is, but you continue to must exit and perform against superb fighters. I’m not saying it’s going to be a stroll within the park, but don’t be surprised whether it is.”
Asked whether Ennis could use a victory to call out Terence Crawford, Hearn downplayed that possibility while suggesting the previous undisputed welterweight champion has likely moved on from boxing.
“It’s very difficult to call out a retired fighter, but Boots really isn’t that guy either,” Hearn said. “But when he’s standing in the midst of the ring after producing a performance for the ages and says, ‘Crawford, come out of retirement, and we’ll make the largest fight of the game,’ I believe it’ll break the Web. But I feel Crawford is retired. We’ve got to concentrate on the division and the championships and the fighters which might be lively.”
Eddie Hearn on Usyk vacating, what it means for Joshua, Boots-Crawford and more pic.twitter.com/V1Lu2mlYeL
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) June 27, 2026
Last Updated on 2026/06/27 at 12:27 PM