Claressa Shields has warned Jaron Ennis that he must fight with more intelligence to defeat Sebastian Fundora in their potential unification bout. The champion believes Ennis has the tools to win but cannot repeat the defensive mistakes he made against Xander Zayas.
Following his seventh-round stoppage of Zayas on 27 June to win the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles, Ennis immediately targeted a unification contest with WBC champion Fundora. Negotiations are reportedly underway for a bout later this year. Shields, a decorated champion, acknowledged that Fundora’s unique physical attributes present a significant challenge. She told Fight Hub TV, “A big challenge for him will be Fundora. Fundora is a big challenge for anybody because of how long he is and his height, but Boots has enough in his arsenal, I feel, to beat Fundora, but he has got to be very, very smart.”
Shields pointed to specific moments in the Zayas fight where Ennis showed vulnerability. She insisted that such openings would be far more dangerous against a fighter with Fundora’s frame and reach. “He can’t make the same mistakes that he made, getting hit with that straight jab and that right against Zayas. He can’t do that with Fundora. Cannot. Will not. He cannot do that,” Shields stated. She added emphasis on his condition, stating, “Also, he cannot do that fighting on wobbly legs either.”
Her sharpest criticism was reserved for Ennis’s decision to continue exchanging punches after being visibly hurt by Zayas. Shields identified this as a critical error in ring management that a fighter of his calibre should avoid. “The only thing that he did wrong, for me, was fighting after that. Him fighting on wobbly legs, he should have moved around, jabbed, whatever. Be smart,” she said. This lack of composure, she suggests, could be decisive against an opponent like Fundora.
A contest between Ennis and Fundora would be for the undisputed junior middleweight championship, with Ennis holding the WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine belts and Fundora the WBC version. The division’s other major title, the IBF belt, is held by Britain’s Josh Kelly, who is scheduled to defend it against Caoimhin Agyarko on 25 July.
