XANDER ZAYAS EMERGES AS TOP TARGET FOR JARON ENNIS’S NEXT MAJOR SHOWDOWN
Eddie Hearn confirms Jaron "Boots" Ennis is in talks to fight Xander Zayas in June after the Vergil Ortiz deal collapsed.
Eddie Hearn just shared that Jaron “Boots” Ennis’s next fight is around the corner, with talks heating up for a showdown with Xander Zayas.
After unifying the WBA and IBF welterweight belts against Eimantas Stanionis back in April 2025, Ennis jumped to 154 pounds. He took on Uisma Lima in his debut at that weight and sailed through, which got fans buzzing about a possible match with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Matchroom and Golden Boy Promotions started negotiating for Ennis-Ortiz, but things got messy. Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, wasn’t happy with the purse Golden Boy offered, sparking tension between Ortiz and his promoter. Ortiz declared himself a free agent, filed a lawsuit against Golden Boy, and tried to strike a deal with Ennis on his own.
Golden Boy responded by getting a restraining order to stop Ortiz from negotiating elsewhere, putting those talks to bed. So Hearn began looking elsewhere, and now Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles, is in the mix. With Top Rank announcing a broadcast partnership with DAZN and Matchroom already tied to DAZN, lining up Zayas vs Ennis looks easier than ever.
“We’re definitely talking,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “Honestly, we were so close to getting the Ortiz fight. We even started planning media tours; it was that far along. Now, with DAZN and Top Rank teaming up and our good relationship with Top Rank, we’ve started chatting with Xander Zayas. No media tour this time, but I think that fight could be just as good as the Ortiz one. Zayas is right there.”
He also mentioned Josh Kelly, the IBF champ at 154, saying it’s been a frustrating stretch for Ennis. “Boots was supposed to fight in April or May; now it’s looking like June. But I guarantee he’ll get a big fight next. By the end of next week, we’ll make a decision; Boots’s fight is imminent.”
If Zayas and Ennis do end up facing each other, that could leave Kelly without an opponent for his first title defence. After beating Bakhram Murtazaliev in January, Kelly said he wanted a unification bout with Zayas.
“Yeah, Kelly’s still up for it, and Zayas likes the idea too,” Hearn said. “But honestly, there’s a lot of money in Boots vs Zayas. Kelly could fight Boots as well, and that could happen. I’m fine with Kelly taking a voluntary defence; he just beat Murtazaliev. What more can you ask for? Murtazaliev, then Boots? That’s a tough path, so we’ll see. But Kelly is up for big fights as well. Conversations are ongoing, and it’s a top priority.”
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
