Ennis stepped forward repeatedly during the stare-down, pointing his finger at the 23-year-old champion and closing the distance until both fighters were chest to chest. The moment escalated as Ennis continued the gestures at close range, forcing officials to step in and break them apart.
Zayas did not respond in kind. He held his ground without reacting, then later pointed to that same exchange as evidence that the matchup may not play out the way Ennis expects.
“He kept trying to believe that he’s as big as me, that he’s as tall as me. It’s different. It’s different. He saw it today,” Zayas said during the press conference.
The June 27 bout will see Ennis move up to 154 pounds to challenge Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles. While much of the early attention has focused on whether Ennis’ skill set will carry up from welterweight, Zayas has centered his message on physical presence and composure.
Even though Zayas is only 23, he carries himself with a maturity that usually takes a decade longer to develop. Ennis was clearly trying to test the younger man’s chin, metaphorically speaking, before they ever put the gloves on.
By closing that distance and getting in his space, Boots was looking for a crack in the armor, a blink, a stutter, or a reactionary push that would signal Zayas was feeling the heat.
Instead, Zayas treated it like a light sparring session for the mind. There are a few reasons why his reaction, or lack thereof, is so telling:
Zayas looked physically comfortable. When a guy moves up in weight to fight you and tries to bully you, staying still is the ultimate power move. It sends the message that “you can’t move me.”
Zayas has been a marked man since he signed at 16. He’s used to veterans trying to “little brother” him. He didn’t take the bait because he’s seen the script before.
By not reacting, Zayas actually put the pressure back on Ennis. Now, Boots has to wonder why his usual intimidation tactics didn’t land.
It’s a case of an elite talent trying to use alpha energy against a champion who is perfectly content to let his titles and his frame do the talking. If Ennis was looking for a tell that Zayas was nervous, he came up empty-handed.
“I just feel like he gets frustrated when things don’t go his way, and he’s going to get really frustrated come June 27th,” Zayas said.
Xander is basically telling the world that Ennis has a “frustration trigger” when he can’t find his rhythm. The two fights against Karen Chukhadzhian are the perfect blueprint for Zayas’ argument.
In their first meeting in early 2023, Chukhadzhian’s movement and constant angles snapped Ennis’ 19-fight knockout streak. You could see the annoyance building in Ennis as the rounds ticked by and the highlight-reel finish remained out of reach.
Even though Ennis won the 2024 rematch in Philly, it was described by many as a “flat” and “sloppy” performance. Despite the knockdown, Ennis looked visibly bothered by the holding and the defensive tactics. He even admitted afterward that it’s hard to “get up” for guys he doesn’t respect as top-tier threats.
If Zayas can make Ennis miss in the first few rounds on June 27, he’s banking on “Boots” losing his cool and making the kind of defensive mistakes we saw in his recent outings.
“Man, to be great, you got to face the good guys,” Zayas said. “Just take an easy route. I want to be great. This is the way you do it.”
Zayas is positioning himself as the old-school throwback champion who seeks out the biggest threats while casting a shadow of doubt on Ennis’ career management.
While “Boots” is undeniably talented, the perceived hesitation in his career has created an opening for Zayas to attack his “greatness” credentials:
Passing on a Vergil Ortiz fight when both were rising contenders is often cited as a missed opportunity to prove he was the top dog of the new generation.
Whether it was promotional hurdles or strategic waiting, the fact that Ennis never shared the ring with Terence Crawford while “Bud” held all the cards at welterweight remains a major “what if.”
Taking a tune-up rather than challenging a top-tier contender immediately upon moving up gave Zayas the ammunition to say Ennis is playing it safe.
By calling this out publicly, Zayas is trying to get into Ennis’ head. He’s essentially saying, “I’m the young lion who wants the smoke, and you’re the guy who waits for the right conditions.” It puts the pressure on Ennis to not just win, but to be spectacular to prove Zayas wrong.
Zayas seems to understand that in today’s boxing game, fans respect the “take on all comers” mentality more than an undefeated record against lesser competition.
Read the full article here