Jaron Ennis will have to make a minor adjustment before his championship bout against Xander Zayas. The New York State Athletic Commission ordered Ennis to trim his beard following a complaint from the Zayas team, introducing a small procedural hurdle before Saturday’s title fight.
The issue emerged during the official weigh-in on Friday. Zayas’s team formally requested that the undefeated challenger shorten his beard, a common pre-fight tactic that can serve as a minor distraction. DAZN commentator Chris Mannix confirmed the development during the broadcast.
“The pressing issue is that there was some drama this morning around the length of the beard that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis fights with. There was a request by Xander Zayas’ team that Boots trim his beard going into this fight on Saturday night,” Mannix stated.
Ennis initially rejected the request. The commission, however, stepped in to enforce its rules, mandating a slight trim. According to Mannix, Ennis’s father and trainer, Bozy Ennis, dismissed the issue as insignificant and confirmed they would comply with the order without protest.
“Boots politely declined that request, but the New York Commission came in and said he does need to trim his beard down a little bit. I talked to Bozy Ennis, the father and trainer, who said it’s not a big deal. It’s just a small amount, but there will be a little bit of reduction in that beard when Boots takes on Xander Zayas on Saturday night.”
While the beard trim adds a layer of pre-fight maneuvering, the stakes for the bout remain unchanged. The contest is one of the most significant of the year. Ennis (35-0, 31 KOs) is challenging for his first major world titles against the unified WBA and WBO junior middleweight champion Zayas (23-0, 13 KOs). Both men put their perfect professional records on the line at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, headlining a DAZN pay-per-view event. The last-minute procedural issue is now resolved, clearing the way for the championship showdown.
