Xander fights Jaron on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Whatever happened to the days when a Bob fought a Tom and what is a Xander and for
that matter, what is a Jaron?<\/p>\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s Xander Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) defends the WBO and WBA super
welterweight titles against Jaron \u201cBoots\u201d Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) on Saturday June 27, at
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. DAZN pay-per-view will stream the Matchroom Boxing
and Top Rank show.<\/p>\n
Aside from the uncommon first and last names, the two undefeated fighters are bent on
establishing themselves as the best super welterweights of their generation. Each is
eager to prove their claim.<\/p>\n
Ennis, 28, already captured a world title as a welterweight and is moving up a weight
division looking to grab two titles for the price of one. Weight drains were more
dangerous to him than any foe\u2019s best power punches.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to run through this division,\u201d said Ennis. \u201cThen go do it again at the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zayas, 23, grabbed two world titles within six months. First, last July he defeated Jorge
Garcia Perez in New York City for the WBO version. Then, this past January, he met
WBA champion Abass Barou in Puerto Rico and took his title by split decision.<\/p>\n
Fans and experts were surprised he accepted a fight with Ennis. Zayas doesn\u2019t
understand why.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo call yourself the best, is by fighting the best,\u201d Zayas said about accepting a
challenge by Ennis who is a heavy favorite. \u201cI\u2019ve never been shy about proving myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will Zayas be the next great Boricua fighter like a Miguel Cotto, Wilfredo Gomez or Tito
Trinidad, with respect to Oscar Collazo who I will talk about a little later. Sometimes a
fighter can just be dominant despite not having blinding speed or mind-numbing power.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s never faced an athletic fighter like me,\u201d Zayas said of Ennis.<\/p>\n
Ever see Argentina\u2019s Carlos Monzon or Mexico\u2019s Salvador Sanchez? They dominated
their generation despite not having the speed of a Sugar Ray Leonard or the power of a
Tommy Hearns.<\/p>\n
I remember talking to Monzon\u2019s great trainer Amilcar Brusa when he was in Los
Angeles working with Carlos \u201cFamoso\u201d Hernandez. He spoke about Monzon\u2019s uncanny
ability to fire the right punch at the right moment. \u201cHe was like a computer\u201d said Brusa.<\/p>\n
Monzon was one of those fighters without the blinding speed or power. He just could
fight and fight and would outlast the opposition.<\/p>\n
Sanchez was another fighter that lacked the power or speed that often accompanied the
great champions. Yet, he defeated the great \u201cBazooka\u201d Gomez and Azumah Nelson.
With Sanchez you knew he was ready to fight for 15 rounds at full intensity. And, that he
was not going to tire.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the coin, \u201cBoots\u201d Enis is one of those fighters with everything going
his way. Speed? Check. Power? Check. Skill set? Check. It\u2019s difficult to find any flaw in
the Philadelphia fighter, except his lack of facing championship opposition. On Saturday
he can check that off his list when he meets Zayas, the unified super welterweight
champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to do whatever I want,\u201d said Ennis confidently. \u201cI\u2019m a put on a show. Look
great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ennis was openly chasing Vergil Ortiz Jr. for a showdown, but that match was nixed. It\u2019s
a problem boxing commonly makes as social media and TV analysts try to stir the pot
so they can tell the world they made that fight happen. Fighters sign with promoters to
ensure they get fights and are guided properly. Instead, we have TV interviewers trying
to pin a fighter down on live television or streaming to make a potential fight happen. It\u2019s
a ridiculous ploy used far too often following a boxing match.<\/p>\n
We want the best fighting the best, is what everyone claims will help boxing. You can\u2019t
fight everybody at once. Just let it happen naturally.<\/p>\n
Three other interesting matches are included in the Zayas-Ennis boxing card. Perhaps
the most interesting is Emiliano Vargas (17-0), the son of the great Fernando Vargas,
who is set to meet Bryce Mills (22-1) in a super lightweight match. Also, England\u2019s Ben
Whittaker (11-0-1), a wannabe Prince Hamed, meets Richard Rivera (27-2) in a battle
for a regional light heavyweight title.<\/p>\n
El Pupilo<\/p>\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s Oscar \u201cEl Pupilo\u201d Collazo rolled with the punches last week when his
originally signed opponent suffered visa problems and was unable to cross the border
into Southern California. Instead, we saw Collazo accept a fight against a heavier and
big puncher in Neider Valdez. It ended in two rounds as Collazo flattened Valdez three
times.<\/p>\n
Collazo fought at flyweight and proved participating in the heavier weight class was not
a problem. The Boricua defended the WBO minimumweight world title nine times.
Beginning in January 2021 he defended that title eight consecutive times, including five
successive knockout wins.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n
The southpaw slugger from Villalba, Puerto Rico is ready for bigger fish.<\/p>\n
Fights to Watch<\/p>\n
Sat. DAZN ppv 3:15 p.m. Xander Zayas (23-0) vs Jaron Ennis (35-0); Emiliano Vargas
(17-0) vs Bryce Mills (22-1); and Ben Whittaker (11-0-1) vs Richard Rivera (27-2).<\/p>\n