Xander Zayas and Jaron 'Boots' Ennis make weight for junior middleweight showdown
Jun 26, 2026 • 11:58 AM ET
Cris Esqueda/MatchroomNEW YORK – Xander Zayas may well rehydrate far beyond the junior-middleweight limit by the first bell of Saturday’s unification bout with fellow unbeaten Jaron “Boots” Ennis, but all that matters – at least for now – is he cut down below the 154lbs figure Friday.
WBO and WBA champion Zayas, 23-0 (13 KOs), weighed in at 153.9lbs Friday morning at the New York State Athletic Commission official weigh-in while Ennis, 35-0 (31 KOs), came in at 153lbs.
Amid speculation that Puerto Rico’s Zayas, 23, will likely move up in weight in the near future and that he walks around in the 180lbs range between fights, he made the cut to clinch the anticipated DAZN pay-per-view at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Philadelphia’s former unified welterweight champion Ennis, 28, is taking his second 154lbs bout after posting a first-round knockout October 11 versus Uisma Lima.
Friday afternoon’s ceremonial weigh-in begins at 1 p.m. Eastern on DAZN.
Officials told BoxingScene the pay-per-view card participants, including England’s light-heavyweight Ben Whitaker and unbeaten 140lbs contender Emiliano Vargas, were also on weight at the morning session.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
