Edgar Berlanga has questioned Jaron Ennis’s conditioning following his seventh-round stoppage victory over Xander Zayas. Despite Ennis unifying the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles, Berlanga believes the champion appeared unusually fatigued and was significantly hurt during the contest.
Berlanga observed the title bout and concluded that the victorious Ennis was not performing at his physical peak, suggesting that potential overtraining may have contributed to a visible decline in stamina. He stated, “I feel like he gassed out quick, maybe from overtraining in camp and stuff. He didn’t look like himself as far as conditioning-wise. It looked like he was real tired.”
The most critical moments for Ennis came in the third round, when Zayas landed a series of clean right hands that visibly troubled the champion. Berlanga admitted his surprise at seeing the Philadelphia fighter in such difficulty for the first time. “I’m like, ‘Damn.’ Because I never seen Boots hurt like that. He was hurt. And not just that round. I feel like the next round he was out of it.”
Berlanga believed Zayas was on the verge of securing a major upset, noting the physical effect of the punches on Ennis. He recalled, “When he hit him again with the right hand, you see Boots holding on and his legs got weak. I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s about to stop him.’ Then towards the end of the third round, Boots came back. That’s when I knew this was a crazy fight,”
Although Ennis recovered to secure the stoppage and improve his record to 36-0, the performance raised questions about his preparation. However, Berlanga praised both competitors for engaging in a high-risk encounter, asserting that neither fighter’s reputation was diminished by the result. He concluded, “Nobody lost any credit. Even though Xander got stopped in the seventh round, people still respect him. They both put on a great performance.”
