Eddie Hearn is hoping for his man Jaron “Boots” Ennis to claim a pair of super welterweight titles when he faces Xander Zayas in New York on June 27, and has a full plan to crown an undisputed champion at 154 lbs sooner than later.
Hearn says he sees the Zayas vs Boots matchup as similar to Floyd Mayweather’s 2013 win over Canelo Alvarez, when Canelo stepped up in class against the top fighter of the day. Mayweather won that night, but Hearn believes it was the night Canelo became a superstar:
“It
feels a little bit like Mayweather-Canelo, you know, the same kind of moment where you’ve got a guy with supreme skills and ability like Mayweather or Boots, and you’ve got this young superstar coming through that wants to test himself. I mean, that fight really made Canelo Alvarez.
“And I’m not saying Zayas is looking at it and saying, ‘Even if I lose, I’m going to get all the credit.’ They think they can win. But is it a step too soon? Or is this kid, Xander Zayas, just a true generational great and can mix it at this level? We’re going to find out.”
Zayas (23-0, 13 KO) will be defending the WBA and WBO titles against Ennis (35-0, 31 KO), and Hearn also says he’s in touch with Premier Boxing Champions and working on a potential clash between WBC champ Sebastian Fundora and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly.
“The winner of [Zayas vs Boots] can fight the winner of Fundora vs Kelly, you have an an undisputed champion, just like that.”
If we did get that mini-tournament, who do you expect would come out holding all the belts at 154?
