Jaron Ennis Stops Xander Zayas to Become Two-Division Unified Champion as Ben Whittaker Shines in Brooklyn<

Brooklyn got exactly what it wanted on Saturday night – action from the opening bell. The headline fight delivered a genuine shootout before Jaron “Boots” Ennis finally broke down Xander Zayas, while Ben Whittaker stole plenty of headlines with a blistering American debut and Emiliano Vargas continued his rapid rise.

From the opening contest to the main event, there wasn’t much hanging around on this card.

Main Event

Jaron Ennis improved to 36-0-0 after stopping Xander Zayas, whose record fell to 23-1-0, via seventh-round technical knockout to capture the WBO World Super Welterweight title.

Many expected Ennis to win. Few expected him to impose himself quite so quickly.

A crushing left hand sent Zayas to the canvas in the opening round and immediately changed the feel of the fight. To his credit, Zayas refused to retreat. Instead, he stood his ground and traded with one of boxing’s most explosive punchers, making for some wild exchanges during the middle rounds.

The third and fourth rounds were outstanding, with Zayas enjoying his best spell of the contest and even rocking Ennis during a frantic exchange. It was enough to remind everyone why he arrived unbeaten.

But every big shot from Ennis seemed to carry different weight. A vicious uppercut put Zayas down again in the fifth before the Philadelphia star poured on heavy body and head shots. Somehow Zayas survived.

After a quieter sixth, Ennis found another gear in round seven. A brutal body attack forced Zayas to take a knee for the third knockdown of the fight, and with their fighter taking too much punishment, Zayas’ corner wisely waved it off at 1:49 of the round.

It was a ruthless finish and a genuine statement from Ennis, who now leaves Brooklyn as a unified two-division world champion.

Co-Main / Key Fights

Jahi Tucker edged previously unbeaten Euri Cedeno by majority decision over ten rounds to claim the vacant IBF North American, WBC USA and WBO NABO middleweight titles. Tucker’s record moves to 17-1-1, while Cedeno slips to 14-1-1.

This was much closer than the wider scorecards suggested. Tucker started brightly, but Cedeno looked completely unfazed and his corner repeatedly urged him to attack the body after Tucker’s difficult weigh-in. It worked, turning the contest into a very even battle for long stretches. Cedeno faded during the championship rounds though, allowing the busier Tucker to nick the fight. The judges scored it 95-95, 98-92 and 97-93.

 

Emiliano Vargas continued his unbeaten run by stopping Bryce Mills in the fourth round to improve to 18-0-0. Mills drops to 22-2-0.

After a cautious opening minute, Vargas gradually took over. He dropped Mills once in the third before finishing the job in round four, scoring another knockdown before the referee stepped in at 1:17. Vargas leaves Brooklyn holding onto the NABF, WBC USA Silver and WBO Latino super lightweight titles and looks ready for another step up.

Ben Whittaker couldn’t have asked for a better American debut, blasting out Richard Rivera in the second round to capture the WBC Silver light heavyweight title.

Whittaker looked sensational. Rivera arrived full of confidence, but that belief disappeared late in the opening round when Whittaker dumped him to the canvas. Seconds into round two, a perfectly timed left-hand counter sent Rivera down again. He beat the count, but referee Michael Griffin had seen enough and waved it off after just 27 seconds of the round. Whittaker improves to 12-0-1, while Rivera falls to 27-3-0.

Undercard

Quincey Williams stayed unbeaten by outpointing Jerome Baxter via unanimous decision over eight rounds. All three judges scored it 79-73 as Williams improved to 7-0-0, with Baxter dropping to 8-2-0.

Dennis Thompson had to work for it but remained unbeaten after earning a split decision over Edwin Rodriguez. Thompson moves to 11-0-0 with scores of 77-75, 75-77 and 79-73.

Juanma Lopez De Jesus needed just one round to dispatch Alberto Motos, knocking him out at 2:05 of the opener. The unbeaten prospect improves to 6-0-0, while Motos falls to 6-3-0.

Closing Thoughts

Ennis may have grabbed the headlines, but Whittaker and Vargas both made serious statements on a stacked Brooklyn card. If Saturday night proved anything, it’s that there are plenty of new stars pushing their way towards the top of the sport.

Card Highlights Stream