Boots Ennis BROKE Xander Zayas Down, but Roy & Dre Don’t Agree on That “Mental Lapse”

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. are back with a new edition of HALL OF GAME, and they’re going straight at the fight everybody just watched: Jaron “Boots” Ennis stopping Xander Zayas in the 7th round at Barclays. Boots broke Zayas down to the body, but the Hall of Fame duo don’t see the third round firefight the same way. Roy calls it going to sleep, Dre calls it an exchange, and they go back and forth on whether it’s a real flaw or just the cost of having that much in the bag.

From there it’s the stoppage everyone’s arguing about: should Zayas’ corner have waved it off in the fifth to save him the punishment? Did he quit, or did he show enough? Roy and Dre get into the difference between quitting and getting beat and the mental side of prizefighting.

Then they look ahead: what’s actually next for Boots, chase the Vergil Ortiz fight, or Fundora? Plus shout-outs to Emiliano Vargas, Ben Whittaker, and Jose Valenzuela avenging his loss to Edwin de la Santos.

Follow Andre Ward – https://www.instagram.com/andresogward/
Follow Roy Jones Jr. – https://www.instagram.com/royjonesjrofficial/

—

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, 800-327-5050/visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY).
Call 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 800-981-0023 (PR).
Wagering offered by DK Sportsbook: 21+. Present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/PR/WY). Void in ONT. On behalf of Boothill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL.
Event Trading offered by DraftKings Predictions, CFTC-registered: 18+. Trading involves risk of loss. Market availability varies. Predictions offer void in NY. General: 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ deposit req. Trade $5, get $200 Prediction Dollars (1-year expiry) issued as $50 increments every 7 days via click-to-claim for 21 days; or bet $5, get $200 Bonus Bets instantly (7-day expiry and stake removed from payout). 7 days = 168hrs. Rewards are non-withdrawable. Terms: dkng.co/offer. Ends 7/19/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

—

0:00 Intro
0:46 Setting the scene: Zayas vs. Boots at Barclays Center
1:36 First reactions: fight, atmosphere, stoppage
2:07 Body shots that set up the finish
4:01 Round 1 power and the Round 3 wobble
7:05 Is Boots’ “defensive lapse” overblown?
9:11 Ad break
10:31 Zayas’ round 3 strategy debated
12:57 Boots’ defense, standards, and grading his own performance
18:19 Ward’s “mental letdown” theory
22:07 The “bag of stuff” theory & lack of elite competition
37:08 Setting up the late rounds
38:33 Round 5 knockdown breakdown
39:45 Should the corner have stopped it?
44:18 Round 7 stoppage and the corner look
46:28 Did Zayas quit? The big debate
51:18 Where Zayas goes from here
53:51 What’s next for Boots Ennis
56:56 Shoutouts: Vargas Jr., Whittaker, Valenzuela
1:01:16 Roy Jones Jr.’s award shoutout
1:01:34 Outro

—

Want to listen via Audio?
Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-ward/id1767454006
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2zgtdAGaqvrEJza1c0RdvL?si=a94a7b4be17542e0

Follow on social!
Instagram Fight – https://www.instagram.com/atsfight/
Instagram Boxing – https://www.instagram.com/atsboxing/
Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@atsboxing
X ATS Fight – https://x.com/ats_fight