Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis live results update
On June 27, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis headlines a Matchroom Boxing card in association with Top Rank for Zayas’ WBO/WBA super welterweight title.
We’ll bring you all the results from the Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis event. The first fight on the main card is expected to begin at approximately 01:40 GMT / 08:40 ET.
All results from the Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fight card
Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
After an entertaining undercard, it was time for Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for Zayas’ WBO/WBA super welterweight title. It was a dream-like opening round from Ennis as he quickly found his stride, landing the left hand almost at will. A beautifully timed left hand from Ennis knocked down Zayas. What a start from “Boots.” Zayas tried to stand there and trade in that first round, which is the opposite of what has got him to the status of unified champion.
“Boots” showed excellent timing in the second round, picking his punches impressively, leaving Zayas (23-1, 13 KOs) struggling to get any kind of a foothold in this fight. What a third round from these two! Zayas found his range and hurt Ennis with two big right hands. Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) refused to back up, went toe-to-toe with Zayas, and landed a big shot of his own near the end of the round.
When Ennis moved and varied his angles, he looked a level above. Zayas looked at his best punching between Ennis, and catching the Philly fighter sleeping. Both once again met in the middle of the ring in the fifth, exchanging huge punches, before Ennis landed a huge uppercut, knocking Zayas down. The rest of the round saw Ennis deliver a hellacious beating on Zayas, who showed tremendous heart to survive the round.
Round seven saw “Boots” Ennis step on the gas once again and hurt Zayas again. He once again stayed poised, but picked his shots with venom, knocking the Puerto Rican down again. This time, his corner had seen enough and pulled their fighter out, crowning Ennis the new unified WBA/WBO super welterweight champion. What a performance, and what a win for Jaron “Boots” Ennis!
Emiliano Vargas vs Bryce Mills
Up next on the Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis undercard was Emiliano Vargas (18-0, 15 KOs) vs Bryce Mills (22-2, 9 KOs) for the North American Boxing Federation junior, WBC USA silver, and WBO Latino super lightweight titles.
Mills looked to apply pressure in the opening round, while Vargas looked to find his range and distance. Vargas ended the round on top, landing a smart hook, which stiffened the legs of his opponent. In the second round, Mills landed a well-timed right hook, stiffening Vargas, who himself landed a big left hand soon after.
The heavy body shots from Vargas in the first three rounds continually affected Mills, who tucked his elbows in when hit. “El General” landed a short right hook in the third, knocking Mills down. In the fourth round, Vargas landed a straight left hand, connecting flush on Mills’s chin. Mills beat the count, and Vargas pounced, landing a flurry of quick, heavy punches, leading the referee to jump in and wave the fight off. A fourth-round TKO win sees Vargas retain his North American Boxing Federation junior and WBO Latino super lightweight titles, while winning the WBC USA silver title.
Ben Whittaker vs Richard Rivera
Next up was Ben Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) vs Richard Rivera (27-3, 20 KOs) for Whittaker’s WBC silver light heavyweight title.
It was a fairly quiet opening three minutes, with Whittaker using his feet well to control the distance. Towards the end of the round, Rivera dipped down and was caught with a short right hand, flooring Rivera. At the beginning of the second round, Whittaker looked sharp and showed his speed and power, landing a left hook and knocking his opponent down again. Rivera got to his feet, but the referee had seen enough and deemed “Popeye The Sailor Man” in no position to continue. Another quick-fire win for “The Surgeon,” who remains the WBC silver light heavyweight champion, winning by second-round TKO.
Jahi Tucker vs Euri Cedeno
The opening fight of the Xander Zayas vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis main undercard saw Jahi Tucker (17-1-1, 7 KOs) vs Euri Cedeno (14-1-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant IBF North American, WBC USA, and WBO NABO middleweight titles.
It was a bright start from Tucker in the opening round, dictating the pace and landing big 1-2 combinations. Tucker continued to move well in the second round, picking his punches impressively, while Cedeno struggled to land anything of note.
The third round saw Cedeno have more success, with some eye-catching body shots and some big looping hooks. By the end of the third round, it began to look like the power of Cedeno was helping him get on top in the fight. By the halfway point in the bout, the cleaner work continued to come from Tucker, whose work rate was higher than his opponents.
Over the next few rounds, Tucker continued to land the cleaner punches and outwork Cedeno. Tucker’s footwork has helped him negate the power of Cedeno. In the early rounds, it felt like the power of Cedeno would be the difference, but Jahi Tucker adjusted well and dictated many of the rounds towards the back end of the fight. Cedeno had some success in the final round, letting his hands go. Tucker returned fire towards the end of the round and looked to have done enough to win the fight. It went to the judge’s scorecards, which read 95-95, while the other two had it 97-93 and 98-92 for Tucker, who now holds the IBF North American, WBC USA, and WBO NABO titles, winning by a majority decision.
Featured Image Credit:
Zachariah Delgado – Matchroom Boxing
Ricky Carroll
Freelance Writer and Digital Marketer, spending most of his time waiting for Andy Cruz to win a world title. Also watches YouTube videos of Lennox Lewis fights on a daily basis.