“I’m going with Boots,” Russell said to Sean Zittel while discussing the fight. “Now, Xander is no slouch. He’s young, vigorous, strong, has good head movement, is in shape, coming to fight, and he has something to lose. He’s going to give it his all.”
Russell pointed to Ennis’ athletic ability and creativity as major advantages, while also noting that training alongside Saul “Canelo” Alvarez could provide additional benefits heading into the biggest fight of his career.
Still, Russell made it clear that Zayas is not arriving as an underdog looking merely to survive.
“Xander is not about to lay down for Boots. He don’t care about no name, he don’t care about what everybody been saying about you. He is coming to fight,” said Antuanne.
The Philadelphia contender moved up from welterweight after dominating the division and stopping Eimantas Stanionis in their unification bout last year. Zayas enters the fight as the WBA and WBO champion after unifying the titles against Abass Baraou in Puerto Rico in January.
Russell expects the fight to become increasingly dangerous as it progresses.
“Boots cannot play with this boy,” said Russell. “Xander will have Boots looking at the lights; it’ll be an upset. Xander got some pop. He’s coming to work, and he’s smart, too.”
Despite those warnings, Russell ultimately sided with Ennis, citing the combination of natural talent and experience he has developed since their amateur encounters.
“But I’m going with Boots at the end of the day,” said Russell.
This weekend’s fight will determine whether Ennis can become a unified champion in a second weight class or whether Zayas can hand one of boxing’s most highly regarded fighters the first loss of his professional career.
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