Eddie Hearn expects unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas to enjoy a significant size advantage by fight night, predicting the unbeaten titleholder could rehydrate to as much as 175 pounds before stepping into the ring against Jaron “Boots” Ennis on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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Despite the projected disparity in size, Hearn made it clear he still expects Ennis to emerge victorious.
“I know Boots will win. It’s just how he does it, but you have to respect Xander. He’s a big guy. He’ll rehydrate tomorrow to 170 pounds, 175 pounds, and be on. Boots is also a big guy. He doesn’t make the weight easy at 154, but he’s a lot more comfortable than he was at 147. He feels phenomenal,” Hearn said during a Friday media scrum.
Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs) weighed 153.8 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-in, while Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) came in at 153 pounds. Under New York rules, both fighters are free to regain weight before entering the ring, leading Hearn to believe the champion will hold a considerable size advantage by the first bell.
Hearn also praised Ennis’ preparation for the biggest fight of his career, claiming the former welterweight champion has looked exceptional in training camp.
“He’s been sparring heavyweights and light heavyweights. He’s been knocking them clean out,” said Hearn. “But listen, sparring is sparring. You can talk to anyone in the game. Everybody knows how good Jaron Ennis is, but he’s got to show it. You can talk about how good a guy is, but you still have to go out and perform against very good fighters. I’m not saying it’s going to be a stroll in the park, but don’t be surprised if it is.”
Asked whether Ennis could use a victory to call out Terence Crawford, Hearn downplayed that possibility while suggesting the former undisputed welterweight champion has likely moved on from boxing.
“It’s very difficult to call out a retired fighter, but Boots really isn’t that guy either,” Hearn said. “But if he’s standing in the middle of the ring after producing a performance for the ages and says, ‘Crawford, come out of retirement, and we’ll make the biggest fight of the sport,’ I think it’ll break the Internet. But I feel Crawford is retired. We’ve got to focus on the division and the championships and the fighters that are active.”
Eddie Hearn on Usyk vacating, what it means for Joshua, Boots-Crawford and more pic.twitter.com/V1Lu2mlYeL
— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) June 27, 2026
Last Updated on 2026/06/27 at 12:27 PM
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