Jaron Ennis became a unified junior middleweight champion by stopping Xander Zayas, but his performance has raised concerns from a former world champion. Andre Ward argued that years without elite tests have allowed poor defensive habits to form, which could be exploited by top-tier opponents.
Ennis secured the WBA and WBO belts with a seventh-round stoppage of Zayas in New York. However, a moment in the third round, when Zayas briefly hurt him with a right hand, became a point of analysis. Ward suggests this was not an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger issue stemming from a career spent dominating lesser opposition. He believes Ennis has developed a tendency to relax defensively. “Because Boots has not been able to get elite competition in the ring with him… everybody he’s fought in the last 10 years, he went in there knowing, ‘I’m way better than you.’ Over that time period, you start to develop bad habits,” Ward stated. He stressed that while Ennis has the skills, these mental lapses will be punished at the highest level.
Ward explained that such moments of lost concentration are the difference between good fighters and elite champions. “That 30 seconds could be your kryptonite when you face that elite guy. That mental game is not a switch you can turn on and off. You don’t get no free shots on me. That’s the elite mindset,” he said.
Fellow Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. offered a different perspective. He agreed Ennis relaxed but attributed it to the fight becoming too easy, suggesting the champion would not make the same mistake against a more dangerous opponent. Jones Jr. believes the threat of a fighter like Virgil Ortiz would ensure total concentration. “Put Virgil Ortiz in front of him and watch he don’t go to sleep,” Jones said. “He won’t go to sleep against Virgil Ortiz because he knows if you go to sleep, Virgil gonna come at him.”
Despite the debate, Ennis recovered from the scare to break Zayas down with body work for the eventual stoppage. The new unified champion was reportedly critical of his own performance, acknowledging the error. With two world titles now in his possession, the discussion shifts to whether Ennis can eliminate these habits as he prepares to face the division’s best fighters.
