Jaron “Boots” Ennis Stops Xander Zayas

In Seven-Round Thriller!

By: Joe Martin

Saturday, June 27th, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York; In the highly anticipated main event of a Bob Arum - Top Rank, Eddie Hearn - Matchroom Boxing event streamed live on DAZN, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s, Jaron “Boots” Ennis captured the WBA and WBO Super Welterweight World titles with a career-defining performance stopping Sunrise, Florida’s, previously unbeaten Puerto Rican, Xander Zayas via a seventh-round technical knockout.

Fighting in his first bout at 154 pounds “Boots” immediately announced his presence with his speed, accuracy and explosive punching established control from the opening bell. Switching stances and pressing the action behind a sharp seamlessly never relenting jab flooring Zayas with along reaching southpaw left on round one.

The 23-year-old, Puerto Rican champion beat the count and survived the round responded well displaying the heart and skill that had carried him to an undefeated record over the next two rounds catching and rocking the former IBF Welterweight Champion with a hard right hand in round three.

Ennis weathered the attack, despite facing the toughest moment of his professional career recovered quickly and refused to allow the momentum to shift permanently.

Ennis swung the momentum decisively back in the middle rounds with superior timing, a relentless body attack and a powerful left hand gradually breaking Zayas down and flooring him with a sneaky right uppercut in round five.

Zayas showing the wear of the challengers early and growing accurate work, the skilled, hard hitting Philly fighter closed the show in the seventh round, backing and trapping Zayas along the ropes flooring the champion a third time with a heavy left hand highlighted combination drawing a surrender call from the Zayas corner prompting referee Harvey Dock to wave the exciting action over at

1:49 of round seven. The newly crowned two division world champion Ennis improves to 36-0, 32Ko’s as Zayas courage and fearlessness calling out the more experienced 29-year-old, falling short in defense slips to 23-1, 13Ko’s.

In the scheduled ten round co-feature, Las Vegas, 22-year-old, switch hitting, North American Boxing Federation and WBO Latino Super Lightweight champion, Emiliano “El General” Vargas added the WBC USA Silver Super strap to his collection with a dominant, highlight-reel performance stopping Liverpool, New York, once beaten, Bryce Mills in four rounds.

Vargas controlled the action from the opening bell with superior speed, accuracy, and power, outclassing Mills in every department.

“El General” systematically broke down the 24-year-old, New Yorker dropping him once in round with a crisp orthodox stance counter right hand. Vargas returned right back to work in round four dropping Mills a second time with a southpaw stance piston straight left. Quickly noticing Mills distressed condition “El General” putting his closing mentality on full display would return the injured New Yorker to the canvas with a rapid-fire stance changing combination this time forcing referee Ricky Gonzalez to immediately wave it over at 1:17 of the fourth round. Vargas proving he is one of boxing’s top rising stars in the 140-pound division improves to 18-0, 15Ko’s as Mills unbeaten in his previous sixteen bouts with just his second defeat slips to 22-2, 9Ko’s.

Deer Park, New York’s, Jahi Tucker picked up the vacant IBF North American, WBC USA and WBO NABO Middleweight titles with a tightly contested ten round majority decision win over La Romana, Dominican Republic’s, previously unbeaten, southpaw, Euri “La Bazuca” Cedeno.

The slicker boxing New Yorker, used his superior movement, ring IQ, jab and sharper combinations to control distance and pile up points, especially in the middle and later rounds edging out a gritty, back-and-forth 95-95, 97-93, 98-92 ten round majority decision over the persistent power punching Dominican. Tucker seven victories since a 2023 eight round majority points loss to Nicklaus Flaz and an eight round majority draw with Francisco Daniel Veron improves to 17-1-1, 7Ko’s as Cedeno with his first defeat slips to 14-1-1, 12Ko’s.

West Bromwich, West Midlands, UK’s, Ben “The Surgeon” Whittaker made a sensational American debut, retaining his WBC Silver Light Heavyweight title stopping Hartford, Connecticut’s, Richard “Popeye” Rivera in two rounds.

The 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist Whittaker in control from the opening bell with a brief insight to his mobile, surgical punching precision and firm finishing ability knocked Rivera down late in round one with a quick chopping right hand and again in round two with a well-timed counter left hook prompting the referee Micheal Griffin to stop the scheduled ten rounder at 0:27 of round two.

Whittaker four stoppage victories from his controversial October 2024 controversial sixth round technical draw (Whittaker unable to continue having sustained an injury when both boxers fell from the ring) versus fellow countryman Liam Cameron improves to 12-0-1, 8Ko’s. Rivera entering two victories from a March 2024 majority decision loss to Dominican Republic’s still unbeaten Luis Antonio Tejeda slips to 27-3, 20Ko’s.

In an eight-round welterweight clash, Washington, D.C.’s 22-year-old Quincey Williams outpointed Pittsburgh’s Jerome “Thoroughbred” Baxter by unanimous decision (scores including 116-112, 118-110, 119-109), extending his unbeaten streak with a professional showing. Williams stays unbeaten at 7-0, 6Ko’s as Baxter 2-2 in his last four bouts dips to 8-2, 3Ko’s.

In an eight-round super bantamweight affair, Philadelphia’s, unbeaten, 20-year-old, southpaw, Dennis “Quiet Storm” Thompson battled through to a split decision victory over Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, 33-year-old, veteran Edwin “Puto” Rodriguez. Thompson’s youth and skill edged out the more experienced Rodriguez in a competitive scrap. Thompson still unblemished record moves to 11-0, 6Ko’s while Rodriguez winless in his last six evens up at 12-12-3, 5Ko’s

In a six-round super flyweight bout, Caguas, Puerto Rico, 20-year-old, 2024 Olympian, southpaw, Juanma “Juanmita” De Jesus, made a statement setting up and brutally knocking out Comunidad de Madrid, Spain’s, Alberto Motos with a drilling southpaw left hand at 2:05 of round one. De Jesus keeps his zero at 6-0, 3Ko’s as the 27-year-old, Alberto Motos with consecutive losses drops to 6-3.