By: Sean Crose<\/p>\n
His entrance into boxing\u2019s junior middleweight division was nothing short of explosive. Facing Uisma Lima, who was on a four fight win streak, Jaron \u201cBoots\u201d Ennis took care of business in less than a round. Fighting in front of a hometown Philadelphia crowd, Ennis improved his record to 35-0 with 31 knockouts after dropping Lima numerous times before the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the affair. The battle was brief but the fans at the Wells Fargo Center surely felt they got their money\u2019s worth nonetheless. That was back in October. When Ennis enters the ring Saturday night in Brooklyn, he will be facing an entirely different kind of opponent \u2013 an accomplished current world champion eager to make his mark on the public.<\/p>\n
The 29 year old Ennis, however, is bursting with confidence. His 23 year old opponent may be younger, and he may have the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles in his possession, but Xander Zayas has never battled anyone with the kind of skill set Ennis brings to the ring with him. He can switch hit to and from a southpaw stance, his footwork is strong and he appears to have power to burn. The question is can he bring that power up with him to the upper reaches of the junior middleweight division?<\/p>\n
Sure Ennis mowed through Lima, but Zayas is undefeated with a record of 23-0 and 13 knockouts. For some strange reason this matchup is reminding me of a classic junior middleweight match from 1987. Having moved up from welterweight, Donald Curry set his sights on the WBA belt. The owner of that belt, however, was Mike McCallum, an undefeated and very high level fighter. The media might have been focused on Curry, but it was McCallum who laid his man out with a single shot. Could the same things happen Saturday at the Barclay\u2019s Center? Could a well regarded but somewhat under the radar titleholder manage to shock the world?<\/p>\n
Of course he could. It probably isn\u2019t too likely, though. Again, it\u2019s Ennis who looks to be a sharper fighter. Zayas is excellent, of course, with strong movement and effective aggression, but Ennis is seen as a star yet to be crowned. He\u2019ll find himself coronated on Saturday night if he handles Zayas like he clearly believes he will. \u201cMy goal right now is just to clean out this whole division one by one,\u201d he recently told Ariel Helwani (by way of Boxing News). Is Ennis looking past Zayas? Probably not \u2013 but one never knows in this sport.<\/p>\n
After Friday\u2019s outdoor weigh in, Ennis came across as cool and confident.\u00a0\u201cTomorrow night you will hear the words \u2018and the new’\u201d, he said. And his fight plan? \u201cBe patient,\u201d Ennis said. \u201cTake my time\u2026be smart.\u201d Ennis made it obvious that he believes\u00a0 Zayas simply isn\u2019t equipped to deal with him once the opening bell sounds. \u201cI got so many different styles,\u201d he said,\u00a0 \u201che (Zyas) don\u2019t\u2019 know how I\u2019m coming.\u201d As for the Puerto Rican fans who are expected to show up for Zayas, Ennis says they\u2019ll become fans of his tomorrow night.<\/p>\n
Brooklyn has always had a deep connection with modern boxing. Whether it\u2019s Gleason\u2019s Gym, or the biographies of Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe and others it\u2019s no doubt been an important part of the fight game. Philly may be far away, but it isn\u2019t THAT far away. Expect a Philadelphia\u00a0 contingent to show up at the Barclay\u2019s to support Ennis this weekend. Who knows? Ennis may be right when he claims he\u2019s going to gain new fans amongst the in-person crowd Saturday. At the very least the guy wants to leave a lasting impression.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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