Latest / Between The Rounds Official / Boots Ennis Beats Xander Zayas in a Thriller, Virgil Ortiz Reacts, and Ben Whitaker's US Debut
Transcript
- Sarah C: Last night at the Barclay Centre, Boots Ennis and Xander Zayas gave us a fight contender of the year. Two fighters, everything on the line. Plus, Ben Whitaker made his US debut. I'm Sarah Cunningham, and this is Between the Rounds. What a fight and what a week leading into it. Last night we saw what real risk looks like. We saw what genuine heart looks like under intense, unforgiving pressure. above all, We got an absolute masterclass in what true respect looks like in the sport. Going into this weekend, I was really honest in my pre-fight assessment that my heart was with Zayas but boxing brain was with Boots. And Fight Night, well, it just confirmed exactly why. But what happened in that ring Was so much more than just a Jaron Boots and a statement. So let's get into it. So at the Weigh-ins this week, I was out talking to the fans, and it was exactly the same story everywhere you turned. Puerto Rico were out in full force, fully behind their champion. And you understand why. ⁓ only twenty-three years old and he entered that ring as a unified champion undefeated. But the boxing purists, they were all whispering the exact same name. My technical read going into this fight was simple. Boots was gonna bring speed, angles, and relentless combinations that Zayas had simply never encountered at this level of his career before. And that's almost exactly how it played out. ⁓ But Xander Zayas made it a fight first. Now boots was the from the opening bell. Powerful switching stances, Landing clean straight hands from get-go. The power was unbelievable from round one. And what surprised everyone, and I mean everyone, Was Zayas starting out on the front foot, meeting a power puncher in the centre of the ring, the commentary, the crowd, everyone watching was thinking the same thing. What on earth is he doing? but in actual fact you could actually see what they were attempting. Zayas is the naturally bigger 154 pounder. He has that beautiful lead hook. The game plan was to plant his feet, load up and try to land both the lead hook and the backhand, Trying to bully boots. Like Zayas was the heavier, stronger man. The problem? ⁓ Well, that's not how Boots works. And Zayas went down in round one. After that knockdown, I thought we were for a short night. Round two, Boots was picking him apart. The rotation and the accuracy in his shots, and he's starting to chip away at the body really well. Zayas was still too stationary, planting his feet to try and land those power shots. every time he tried to exchange, ⁓ Boots was catching him clean in the pocket. ⁓ So while they had the right strategy in terms of the volume of exchanges, ⁓ It was evident Boots had more of the accurate work. but round three was the moment that made this fight. Zayas wobbled Boots with a backhand to the chin, and Boots was hurt. He started to put everything into his shots. He was wobbling on his feet, firing back with everything he's had. ⁓ And that took composure from Zayas, but he didn't have the power to finish in that moment. You have to respect him for going for it. And that's when the fight started to drift away from him. Rounds four and five, it was toe-to-toe. Everyone was on their feet. Zayas was showing beautiful angles and again a great chin. He was delivering clipping hooks that were finding their mark. But Xander's lead hand was dropping and he was eating big shots. Boots was the more powerful puncher and he was starting to dig to the body every chance he had. Zayas went down again in round five. It was a big drop and he started to hold on and he just about made it through that round. ⁓ Between five and six, there were serious concerns at ringside. The doctor in, the referee made it really clear to Zayas' corner that if he didn't start to see something, he was gonna stop the fight. Round six went quieter. Za was trying to recover, moving around, looking for his boxing skills, but Boots was building confidence on the front foot. and he was closing the round with big shots again. Round seven, Boots found another gear. And Zayas was showing us what heart he had. He just kept moving. And initially this is what I thought the game plan was gonna be that Xander was gonna box and move Because we know Boots less effective against a moving target, but Zayas just didn't have enough left in tank, and down he goes again. He looks over to the corner and nods his head in response to the towel going in. It was all over. What Zayas said after though showed exactly who he is. He talked about his corner, called them his three dads, and he said that they were there for his safety to make sure he lives another day. that's a fighter at twenty-three years old who shows what real maturity looks like and what this sport asks of you. he said everything right. He gave Boots full credit, took the loss with class. And that's not easy do in the moment, but that is showing true character. Now Virgil Ortiz sitting on his ⁓ couch calling Xander Zayas a quitter isn't technical analysis, ⁓ but it is putting him in the mix for a fight with boots. Zayas in that pocket, he hurt Boots in the third, took a beating from one of the best pound for pound fighters in this sport and was pulled out by his corner after three knockdowns to save him from himself. that's a maturity of a 23-year-old who understands that boxing is more than just one night. Now, Boots, he looked strong at 154. He was in control. His punch intake was far better than I was expecting. But, like we did expect, he got hit tonight, and Zayas found him with real shots, especially in round three. He was on wobbly legs, but he came back, stood tall, and finished the job. And this was a different type of test. he needed to prove he could absorb big shots and keep going. And he did exactly that. now Boots admitted afterwards that round three was self inflicted. He said he switched off and got lazy, and maybe so, but there's lessons learned nonetheless. At one fifty four, unified, dangerous from both stances, Virgil Ortiz is in the conversation, Fundora is in the mix, and the talk of going undisputed has already started. Now it sounds like Eddie will start with Josh Kelly first, maybe then Fundora and then Ortiz, and I'm here for all of it. And then just a quick word on Ben Whitaker, who made his US debut on this card. He dominated from the opening bell, showed sharp reflexes, lovely range management, good body shots, owned the center of the ring throughout. Now the stoppage came early in round two. I initially felt it was premature. but after seeing more clips online, Riviera was far too unsteady. So ultimately it was a right call by the ref. That check-left hook was the highlight. It was perfectly timed and perfectly And Andy Lee said it honestly after the fight. Ben Whitaker's talent is undeniable. The skill set is there. But he needs experience before he goes near the top three in the division. and that's what a great coach does, doesn't rush his fighter. Watching those two together, Andy Lee and Ben Whitaker, are fast becoming a dynamite duo. A skilled fighter with top class coaching, get him more challenging rounds, and he'll be a problem for everyone in that division. New York was absolutely alive this week. We had two elite fighters step up and show us something truly special last night. And that is exactly what great fights do for this sport. I've been your host, Sarah Cunningham. Thank you all for tuning in to Between the Rounds. I'll see you all for the next episode real soon.