By: Sean Crose
His entrance into boxing’s junior middleweight division was nothing short of explosive. Facing Uisma Lima, who was on a four fight win streak, Jaron “Boots” Ennis took care of business in less than a round. Fighting in front of a hometown Philadelphia crowd, Ennis improved his record to 35-0 with 31 knockouts after dropping Lima numerous times before the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the affair. The battle was brief but the fans at the Wells Fargo Center surely felt they got their money’s worth nonetheless. That was back in October. When Ennis enters the ring Saturday night in Brooklyn, he will be facing an entirely different kind of opponent – an accomplished current world champion eager to make his mark on the public.
The 29 year old Ennis, however, is bursting with confidence. His 23 year old opponent may be younger, and he may have the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles in his possession, but Xander Zayas has never battled anyone with the kind of skill set Ennis brings to the ring with him. He can switch hit to and from a southpaw stance, his footwork is strong and he appears to have power to burn. The question is can he bring that power up with him to the upper reaches of the junior middleweight division?
Sure Ennis mowed through Lima, but Zayas is undefeated with a record of 23-0 and 13 knockouts. For some strange reason this matchup is reminding me of a classic junior middleweight match from 1987. Having moved up from welterweight, Donald Curry set his sights on the WBA belt. The owner of that belt, however, was Mike McCallum, an undefeated and very high level fighter. The media might have been focused on Curry, but it was McCallum who laid his man out with a single shot. Could the same things happen Saturday at the Barclay’s Center? Could a well regarded but somewhat under the radar titleholder manage to shock the world?
Of course he could. It probably isn’t too likely, though. Again, it’s Ennis who looks to be a sharper fighter. Zayas is excellent, of course, with strong movement and effective aggression, but Ennis is seen as a star yet to be crowned. He’ll find himself coronated on Saturday night if he handles Zayas like he clearly believes he will. “My goal right now is just to clean out this whole division one by one,” he recently told Ariel Helwani (by way of Boxing News). Is Ennis looking past Zayas? Probably not – but one never knows in this sport.
After Friday’s outdoor weigh in, Ennis came across as cool and confident. “Tomorrow night you will hear the words ‘and the new'”, he said. And his fight plan? “Be patient,” Ennis said. “Take my time…be smart.” Ennis made it obvious that he believes Zayas simply isn’t equipped to deal with him once the opening bell sounds. “I got so many different styles,” he said, “he (Zyas) don’t’ know how I’m coming.” As for the Puerto Rican fans who are expected to show up for Zayas, Ennis says they’ll become fans of his tomorrow night.
Brooklyn has always had a deep connection with modern boxing. Whether it’s Gleason’s Gym, or the biographies of Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe and others it’s no doubt been an important part of the fight game. Philly may be far away, but it isn’t THAT far away. Expect a Philadelphia contingent to show up at the Barclay’s to support Ennis this weekend. Who knows? Ennis may be right when he claims he’s going to gain new fans amongst the in-person crowd Saturday. At the very least the guy wants to leave a lasting impression.
