The shockwaves of Jaron “Boots’ Ennis’ victory over Xander Zayas to become unified, super welterweight champion, are still being felt across the boxing world. Boots is a man in high demand for interviews and for opponents looking to get a shot at a title with a big payday.

 

He spoke on The Ariel Helwani Show and refused to say Zayas quit. Instead, he saw it as him beating the fight out of Zayas, his highest-rated opponent who has the same reach (74 inches). Previously, three of Ennis’ top wins came against Sergey Lipinets, Eimantas Stanionis and David Avanesyan — fighters with a seven, six and five-inch reach disadvantage. His speed against Zayas was the equalizer as he evaded most of his big shots, save for the third round, which was a glorious firefight. 

 

In the interview, Helwani speculated that comments about Zayas quitting were about not wanting to give Ennis credit. He may be right, and Ennis said that it’s normal for fighters to look at the corner after a knockdown for instructions, which it appears is what Zayas did in round seven before the match was called off. 

 

The new unified champ doesn’t think he’ll get credit until he’s retired, but hopefully, he’s wrong about that. He might be Terence Crawford’s real successor, and it would be a shame if he was just a heralded name in the boxing world until the end of his career in which he goes mainstream, like Crawford did.

 

Just imagine how much more weight Crawford’s name would carry if his prime was in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And unfortunately, for Ennis, it’s harder for a top-level guy to distinguish himself if the best aren’t always fighting each other. This era isn’t close to past generations, but maybe some pugilists out there will dare to be great like Zayas and Ennis did.  

 

Before the big fight at Barclays Center, Ennis didn’t have the favorable side of the purse split, but now with two of the four belts at the division, he calls the shots(WBA and WBO). The other champs are Sebastian Fundora (WBC) and Josh Kelly (IBF), yet, Vergil Ortiz, who he was supposed to fight before Zayas, is the interim champ for the WBC. The fight with Ennis and Ortiz was never made because of an internal business mess with Ortiz and his representatives, which ended up in court. 

 

While Ortiz has been on the sidelines, his reputation has stayed neutral after wiping out Erickson Lubin in two rounds on Nov. 8, while Ennis’ has sky-rocketed to the most exciting boxer in the sport.  There’s a good clash with either of the three guys against him, but the best one is arguable between Ortiz and Fundora.

 

Ortiz is the hardest hitter of the three, and one wonders how Ennis would react to his punches if it turned into a brawl like round three against Zayas. Yet, maybe Ennis is skilled enough to keep it surgical off the back foot until he wounds him.

 

Fundora is a wicked puzzle, standing at 6’ 5, and with a six-inch reach advantage over Enis. Fundora has been less of a brawler as of late, and if he attacks, loading up on his jab, it’s a nightmarish fight for anyone because of the mismatch. The only way to beat Towering Inferno is by getting inside on him and landing something cruel, like Brian Mendoza did.

 

At his post-fight presser in Brooklyn in the early morning hours of June 28, Ennis was asked about fighting Fundora. He said, “Bring ‘em all,” regarding all the names at 154 pounds. If that doesn’t happen, then the public loses.

The spectacle in front of the Pyramids of Giza was a grand production, that featured Frank Sanchez scoring an upset KO over Richard Torrez Jr., but the public lost thanks to a waste of time for the WBO vacant title fight (Hamzsah Sheeraz KOed Alem Begic), and a criminally premature stoppage, favoring Oleksandr Usyk.

 

This is pay-per-view.

 

Rico Verhoeven, the kickboxer, was supposed to be the guy he walked through for an easy payday, but Usyk got his own lesson in bravery and class. By the look of him, the reigning heavyweight champ (IBF, WBC, WBA), didn’t prepare like he did for high-profile engagements against Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois plus Anthony Joshua, and now some top dogs of the division might think he’s vulnerable.

 

Usyk lost the first two rounds on all three score cards. It was as if Mobb Deep’s Survival of the Fittest was flowing through Verhoeven’s veins as he made a name for himself, landing power shots and bothering him with awkward movements.

 

The judges even had it 96-94, 95-95 plus 95-95, and it was going to be an Usyk round because he battered Verhoeven and scored a knock down with a right uppercut. Verhoeven got extra time by spitting out his mouthpiece, yet still, one of the greatest potential shockers was derailed with a second left in the 11th round.

 

Mark Lyson has refereed 1,158 fights, but was as sophomoric as an official in the amateur ranks.  He also smugly shook his head, defending his position to Verhoeven’s protesting corner, yet it only would’ve been justified if he had a lobotomy. It was arguably just as pathetic as Howard Foster’s foolishly abrupt stoppage of the Fabio Wardley versus Joseph Parker fight back on Oct. 25.

 

Usyk remains undefeated but his résumé now has a blemish, in similar way that Fury stained his by going the distance with MMA monster Francis Ngannou. Naturally, all fighters have a day at the office, performing below their standards and Saturday’s showing highlighted that Usyk is more human than The Terminator he’s been known to be. He also dodged the question in his post-fight interview on if he thought he needed a stoppage/KO to win.

 

Perhaps, this is what age 39 looks like. Yet his mind is elsewhere since he offered the information that his home country is at war, affecting those close to him.

 

That rising British  star, Moses Itauma, must have seen Verhoeven’s work, thinking, “Forget this development plan —  I better put this down this Ukrainian chap before he takes off the gloves for good,” and he wouldn’t be wrong. It takes beating the man to be the man, and this is a young person’s game.

 

Usyk’s handlers and those that care for him should want him far away from Itauma, eliminating the risk of an undignified wipe out this late in his career, yet the public will call for it or one of the few remaining big fights, like seeing German heavyweight Agit Kabayel. Or maybe Fury will try to scheme his way into a third fight.

 

Quick takes:

 

–Fabio Wardley exercised his rematch clause to get back in the ring with Daniel Dubois after suffering an 11-round stoppage on May 9. Respect to him for wanting to reclaim his honor, but part one was a one-sided beatdown, despite Dubois being knocked down twice. There isn’t much need for a rematch, at least at this time. The sickos won’t mind running it back, but might grumble them if it is PPV like the first.

 

-Claressa Shields smacked Alycia Baumgardner at MVP Promotions’ Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano MMA fight on May 16 after they got into a verbal exchange. Shields was subsequently banned from promotional events. Both have hurled venom in interviews and to each other’s faces previously, but Shields, while she is financially exposed if Baumgardner wants to seek restitution through civil court, which has been threatened, put her smaller foe in a lose-lose situation: Shields would hurt Baumgardner at a catch weight, and if the latter does nothing, some will hold it against her forever that she didn’t defend her honor. Additionally, Shields has also threatened to sue, accusing MVP Promotions’ statement and Baumgardner’s of defamation.

 

WWE Legend Rey Mysterio reveals big plans

 

If you’re not listening to the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, do yourselves a favor to correct this behavior. The show exclusively broke in a interview with the superstar wrestler that he is partnering with Footballco “to launch an official, Team Mexico-inspired World Cup Soccer Jersey.”

 

Mysterio said, “The fact that we’re created something based on my nationality, my representation, you know, Mexico… I remember sitting down with my dad, you know and watching the World Cup in ’86 when the World Cup was in Mexico City, in Estadio Azteca, you know, so to be able to collaborate based on the cartoon (Rey Mysterio vs. The Darkness) and based on the colors of Mexico, representing all the players that are in the lineup for the World Cup is truly an honor.”

 

Mysterio will also be featured at the River City Wrestling Con on June 6 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. He will be presenting his cartoon series, which first aired on Cartoon Network Latin America. “And we’re bringing the cartoon (Rey Mysterio vs. The Darkness) over to the U.S. for the first time,” he said. Mysterio has been passionate about this since he started in the business.

 

Caroline Dubois didn’t deliver on her promise to knock out Terri Harper, but she outclassed her and took her WBO belt, unifying the lightweight division with the WBC strap.

 

Not much landed for either in the first round, despite Dubois trying to get on the inside of Harper’s lead foot. Dubois then raised the intensity, connecting on multiple jabs and a body shot with a straight left hand.

 

Her focus was breaking her down with body strikes and the pressure neutralized Harper’s attack. Dubois managed to slip out of big ones, and later dropped her with a head shot on the tail end of a  2-1 and 1-2 combinations.

 

The bell rang quickly after, giving Harper a reprieve, but she entered the seventh round not willing to engage and paid for the shots she landed. There was an accidental head clash in the next interval that drew blood from Harper’s left eyebrow, and she got battered heading into the closing rounds.

 

Yet the continuous punishment finally forced her to let her hands go, turning the ninth and 10th rounds into a brawl with both ladies landing heartless punches up and downstairs.  Harper dished seven more power punches between those two rounds, per CompuBox.

 

Dubois won unanimously on the cards 98-91, 97-92, 98-91. She said in her post-fight interview that, “I’m an entertainer and this is what I do,” and that she only wants big fights in the future, with two more coming in 2026. 

 

The rest of Most Valuable Promotions’ fight card included Ellie Scotney defeating Mayelli Flores to become England’s youngest undisputed champion (junior flyweight); Chantelle Cameron won the vacant WBO junior middleweight belt over Michaela Kotaskova; Irma Garcia retained her IBF junior bantamweight title against Emma Dolan.

 

On top of that, Mikaela Mayer, the WBO’s welterweight champ who is also a unified titlist at 154 pounds (WBA + WBC) wants to be undisputed. She was working as one of the analysts on the broadcast, and she faced off with Cameron in the ring, setting up a fight for later this year. Mayer also had the junior middleweight belt before vacating it in January.