Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis Preview June 27th, 2026
Unbeaten WBO/WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico is set to battle undefeated former IBF Welterweight Boss Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Saturday, June 27th. Zayas took the WBA Belt from Abass Baraou of Germany in Puerto Rico via a split decision in January after winning the vacant WBO Title when he beat Jorge Garcia Perez by a wide 12-round unanimous decision last July. Ennis was last in the ring in October when he stopped Uisma Lima in just 118 seconds in his first fight as a 154 lb junior middleweight for what was supposedly the WBA Interim Belt. This weekend’s fight from New York City can be seen live in most nations on DAZN pay-per-view.
Zayas vs Ennis Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Xander Zayas +391
- Jaron Ennis -600
My Pick
Zayas fights out of Sunrise, Florida and is just 23 years old, making him one of the youngest world champions at the moment. He’s boxed 124 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 following his amateur career and carries around a perfect mark of 23-0 with 13 Ko’s for a current knockout ratio of 56.5 per cent. He’s stopped six of his last 14 opponents but has gone the distance in four of his past five bouts. Zayas measures 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 74-inch reach. As an amateur he had over 130 fights from 2007 to 2018 and captured 11 national championship events including the 2018 U.S. Youth National Championships.
He captured the vacant WBO NABO Super Welterweight Title in August, 2022 when he stopped Elias Espadas in the fifth round after dropping him in the opening stanza. Zayas then added the vacant NABF Title four months later with an eight-round unanimous decision over Alexis Salazar Flores. He has defended both belts against Ronald Cruz, Roberto Valenzuela, Jorge Fortea, Patrick Teixeira, Damian Sosa and Slawa Spomer. However to be honest, even though he fought Jorge Perez and Abass Baraou for world titles he’s yet to face an elite world-class boxer.
Ennis is a fine 28-year-old former champion who enters the ring with a perfect mark of 35-0 with 31 Ko’s and obviously has a lot of pop in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 88.6 per cent. The only four men to take him the distance were Eddie Diaz who went four rounds in 2016; James Winchester, who took him six rounds the following year and Karen Chukhadzhian who went 12 rounds in 2023 and again in 2024. Ennis stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 74-inch wingspan and has boxed just 125 rounds in his 34 fights since making his pro debut back in 2016.
He started boxing at the age of 15 and enjoyed a superb amateur career with a reported mark of 58-3. Ennis was a 2014 US National Golden Gloves Silver Medalist in Las Vegas; a 2015 USA Youth National Championships Gold Medalist in Reno; a 2015 US National Golden Gloves Tournament Gold Medalist in Las Vegas; a 2015 US Olympic Trials Qualifier Gold Medalist in Baltimore and a 2015 US Olympic Trials participant in Reno.
In 2018 he won the vacant WBC (USNBC) Silver Welterweight Title with a third-round stoppage over Armando Alvarez. As a pro, Ennis has also beaten the likes of Thomas Dulorme, Sergey Lipinets, Elvin Perez, James Winchester, Wilfredo Acuna, Mike Arnaoutis, and Juan Carlos Abreu. His bout with Chris van Heerden in 2020 was called a no-decision when Van Heerden was cut in the first round from an accidental clash of heads.
Ennis stopped Roiman Villa in the 10th round in 2023 and was then promoted to full IBF Welterweight Champion. He halted David Avanesyan after five rounds in his first defence, then beat Karen Chukhadzhian by unanimous decision in a rematch in November, 2024 before stopping former world champion Eimantas Stanionis after the sixth round and then stopping Lima.
Prediction…
This is definitely going to be Zayas’ toughest test and while he appears to have all of the tools needed to succeed he isn’t really the most exciting boxer out there. He should be forced to fight by Ennis this weekend though and perhaps that will bring him out of his shell. Ennis has been criticized for not facing any elite level opposition as well so this is certainly going to be an interesting contest. Ennis has speed and power, just like Zayas, but he just seems to be able to do everything just a little bit better than the champion does and that’s why I’m going with Ennis in this one.
Ennis has the edge in most areas.
Play: Ennis -600 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jaron Ennis betting • Xander Zayas betting