Jaron Ennis Beats Zayas: Boxing's Best Kept Secret Is Now a Two-Division World Champion

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Boxing has a habit of producing elite talents that mainstream sports audiences simply do not know about. Jaron Boots Ennis has been that fighter for the past three years: dominant, technically extraordinary, universally praised by those inside the sport and almost completely unknown to casual sports fans. Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn changed some of that. His unanimous decision win over Xander Zayas to unify the junior middleweight division was the performance of a fighter operating at the level that demands attention from audiences that do not follow boxing closely.

Ennis turned 28 last month. He is now a unified champion at two weight classes. His combination speed is the fastest in the sport at this weight, his footwork and defensive head movement are elite, and Saturday showed he has the tactical discipline to win 12-round decisions against world-class opposition without needing a knockout. The comparison that circulates most among boxing analysts is to a prime Pernell Whitaker, one of the greatest defensive boxers in history. It is not a casual comparison.

The challenge for Ennis is converting boxing achievement into crossover recognition. His fights have largely been on DAZN without the mainstream broadcast platform that Canelo's promotions have given that fighter. The next fight, whether it is Crawford, Benavidez or someone else, needs to be on a platform and at a scale that forces sports fans who do not normally watch boxing to watch him. Saturday was a significant step in that direction and the social media reception suggests the performance found an audience beyond the dedicated boxing fanbase.

Ennis Zayas Results Jaron Ennis Claims Unified 154 Lb Title With Ud Xander Zayaswww.ringmagazine.com