“I think this fight comes down to how comfortable Zayas gets offensively,” Edwards said to Boxingscene. “If he settles down and tries to put hurt on Boots, I believe he gets stopped. If he moves constantly, I believe he can go the distance.”
Edwards is likely looking at Zayas’ recent performances against Abass Baraou and Jorge Garcia Perez and seeing a fighter who has already started leaning on a safety-first style when the going gets a bit tough. When he was under fire in those fights, he held or moved.
Those last two fights showed Zayas is willing to play it safe to get the win. Edwards is betting that against Boots, playing it safe only delays the inevitable.
Zayas is expected to rely on movement early, using his feet and lateral motion to manage distance against a fighter Edwards described as capable of landing shots opponents haven’t experienced before. The challenge, as Edwards sees it, is what happens when rounds pass and the pace becomes harder to maintain.
“He can either decide to keep moving and go the distance and get a moral victory like Hector Camacho,” Edwards said about Xander. “Or go out on his shield like Felix Trinidad.”
It sounds like Edwards thinks that style is exactly what leads to the “Camacho” outcome, a loss where Zayas survives but fails to actually win the fight.
When Edwards mentions Zayas moving and potshotting to go the distance for a “moral victory,” he is essentially saying that while the style might keep Zayas from getting knocked out, it won’t be enough to beat Ennis. In Edwards’ view, movement and clinching are survival tactics, not winning ones.
Moving and clinching is exhausting for a fighter. Edwards points out that as the rounds pass, that pace becomes harder to maintain. Eventually, the legs tire, the clinches get sloppy, and Ennis finds the opening.
Edwards is basically setting up a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. If Zayas uses the clinch/move style you’ve seen recently, Edwards thinks he loses a decision. If he tries to stand his ground to actually win, Edwards thinks he gets stopped.
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