Xander Vs Boots Brooklyn Press Conference

Today, in the heart of Brooklyn, NY at Barclays Center, WBO and WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion Xander Zayas (23-0 13 KOs) and challenger, Philadelphia’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis (35-0 31 KOs), took to the stage to discuss their June 27 bout. The blockbuster fight is streaming live and exclusively on DAZN PPV, brought to boxing fans around the globe by Matchroom in association with Top Rank.

While Ennis aims to cement his status as a two-weight unified champion, the 23-year-old Zayas most recently unified both titles earlier this year in Puerto Rico after an exhilarating contest that yielded a split decision with Abass Baraou.The outcome notably solidified Zayas as the youngest unified ruler in the sport and the first Puerto Rican to unify at the weight.

Below is what the fighters and their teams had to say:

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Chairman
On how he’s feeling that the fight came together…
“I still can’t believe it. One of the hardest jobs in boxing is to get Jaron “Boots” Enis fights. The great news is, thanks to the DAZN partnership with Top Rank, we started talking and all of sudden we said ‘I think we can make Xander Zayas versus Jaron Boots Ennis.’ I’m still in shock and I give the unbelievable credit that Xander deserves because he is a great fighter. He must have a massive set of cojones because what’s about to happen on June 27th is one of the toughest tasks in boxing.”

On not believing Xander would take the fight…
“Dangerous, not just dangerous for him but dangerous for Boots because this kid is 23 and he’s one of the hottest young stars in the sport. I would be keeping him away from Jaron. If I represented Xander Zayas, there is no way I would let him take this fight. I’d be saying ‘listen, we’ll go to MSG, we’ll fill that out and we’ll do another homecoming fight in Puerto Rico. We’ll have Bad Bunny singing you out. We’ll milk it. We’ll do this, we’ll move up to middleweight, we’ve got years. But this fight is what boxing needs.’”

Todd DuBoef, President, Top Rank
On having their first major event with DAZN on the Calendar…
“We have a saying: ‘This is boxing.’ And I’m going to tell you something. This fight, this is boxing. This is what it’s about. Young kids, in their prime, going at it, putting it all on the line, and win or lose, they both win. That’s what makes this sport so great.”

On what he’s seen over the last year that’s put Xander in this position…
“The confidence. We got Xander when he was so young, he was sitting in my office, he was like ‘Miguel Coto’. I just idolize ‘Miguel Coto’. But to see him physically mature, to see his intellect in the ring, to get used to the ups and downs, and then once you win that title, you just expand your horizon, you get more confidence, and he had so much confidence he goes after the boogieman, the guy that nobody wants to fight. We’re not holding him back, we’re letting the race car go.”

Jaron “Boots” Ennis
On his mindset coming into this fight…
“I think Xander bit off way more than he can chew. Come fight night, he’ll see. I’m going to show everyone that I’m the best in the world.”

On what he thinks made Xander take this fight…
“You can watch my fights but when you get in the ring it’s a whole different story. I’m faster than you think. I’m stronger and I have a better IQ, too. He’s going to be in for a long night.”

On the split of the money…
“If he’s so confident, why didn’t he take the 55-45 split for the winner? I think that shows a lot. There’s levels to this and I’m going to show him that. It’s about legacy for me. I want to show the world why I’m the best and I believe in myself.”

On if the fight will end in a knockout…
“For sure.”

Xander Zayas
On why this fight against Boots Ennis had to happen for him…
“It’s always been about legacy. Becoming the youngest world champion at 22 when I did it. Youngest unified world champion. And now fighting one of the best in the world in the division. It’s about legacy. Anybody could have taken the easy route and just get an easy win and that’s it. I want to fight the best. I want to show that I’m the best every time I step into the ring. And that’s what I’m going to do on June 27.”

On Ennis being a weight bully…
“Because he has, I mean, everybody at 147 was always smaller than them. He was a big cop. 54 is different. You got these guys coming from 190 from 181, 85, 200. It’s different.”

What are his advantages in this fight against Ennis…
“Everything. I mean, [Ennis] has never faced an athletic fighter like me.”

On how the fight ends…
“I never go out there looking for the knockout. But I promise I’m going to rip his heart out. I guarantee you that. He’s going to be uncomfortable. I’m going to show you come June 27.”

Javiel Centeno, Zayas’ Trainer
On Zayas wanting to fight Ennis…
“We’ve talked about Jaron Ennis in the past, and we’ve always been in agreement on things we’ve seen that we can take advantage of. Xander said this is the time to do it, and as a team we decided to take the fight.”

Bozy Ennis, Jaron’s Father and Trainer
On his thoughts for the June 27 fight…
“I think [Zayas] bit off too much. Boots can box and he can fight you inside. I want [Zayas] to take him [Zayas] to another level because Boots has so many different levels he can get to.”

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