o’shaquie foster v raymond ford, emiliano vargas v george kambosos & bruce carrington v luis alberto lopez are possible fights for the undercard
Ok so it’s official now. Credit to Zayas for looking for that smoke as you said, @TIC . Honestly, I would’ve preferred another of the top fighters in the division at this point, but what the hell. He was gonna have to face elite opposition sooner or later.
i understand where you’re coming from with wanting a lil more seasoning for xander but for me this is exactly what i want to see. once he got a belt, he unified in his first defense & is now set to face another threat. with guys only fighting maybe 2 times a year these days, there’s not a lot of room for these lesser fights like there used to be. a guy like say oscar de la hoya used to fight 5 or more times a year so a couple of contenders was fine in between the big fights
after all the nonsense & fallout from the vergil ortiz v boots ennis failed negotiations it’s a pleasure to see xander get the fight done with seemingly very little drama
This feels like a throwback of sorts to the height of HBO days. Commonsense championship stuff, minimal theatrics and straight away match up. I don’t think I’ve heard a single mention of purse cuts, manager bash ups or a single father making an ass of himself during drawn out negotiations 
. Save all that nonsense and just make big meaningful fights. And regardless of Zayas maybe having the training wheels on a little long being steered to a title, this more than meets the big fight criteria for me. Hell, I think if we peel away all the anointing and anticipation of Boots finally having a huge breakout and maintaining momentum, I think this is potentially a pretty even match up 
. Boots has passed the eye test for years now, we’ve all seen the obvious promise and talent. But truth be told, I cannot just hand out the hall pass to being guaranteed certified elite. Not yet. Not even off a Stanionis beatdown. Because respects to Boots as a huge fan but that’s essentially his only journey to the deep end of the pool thus far. Sure I expect Boots to win but this is why we fight the fights. To actually ‘know’ and not just assume. Big step for Zayas but he’s done everything asked of him and now sits on another level and as with anyone a certain expectation…and appreciation. Championships change some guys. You’re now in the house and not just peeking thru the windows. Shit he’s more willing to roll the dice and bet on himself than many in the same boat who get far more fawning and praise. Gotta respect that big time. Piss or get off the pot. I like this fight and it’s time to buckle up.
xander gotta put those karen fights on repeat
Oh yeh. Hey a man can only study from the books available. I think he can one-up a Karen toolbox. For his sake he better.
Top fight and glad they have agreed it. Too much talking and not enough action at this weight. Ennis has the opportunity to prove he is the best in the division and hope he takes it.
Very well said, and agree wholeheartedly. It’s a refreshing return to how it used to be. “Let’s get this matchup done, and leave the talking for after the fight.” I’ve heard Ennis described as a sort of boogeyman, which obviously weighs in on my thoughts about the fight. But again, mucho credit to Zayas for being all in on defending his belts against all comers. Either way it goes, it should be a hell of a fight.
Zayas has talent. But there are levels to this. Zayas is in over his head
as of right now, i’ve got xander by decision
What happens to poor Virgil Ortiz who is stuck in contractual issues losing his prime years?
He should be taking this opportunity and the Mexican v Puerto Rican rivalry would made this a huge event.
Damn, I hope you’re right bro. Don’t know what the consensus is down here. Obviously everyone’s pulling for Xander. But I would guess there’s an opinion split on this that could be going the other way.
there seems to be a large contingent supporting boots & i can’t blame them but i just don’t see this fight being as one-sided as many of them are suggesting. one thing that does worry me is favourable judging for boots, i think i had the karen rematch a draw if memory serves but the judges had it quite wide & that’s not what i saw in the ring
Great fight for the hardcore followers - I think they might need some 24/7 style promotng to sell it to the masses but this cpuod be a starmaking fight.
Shakur just saying what I’m sure a lot of boxing fans feel. Regardless of the outcome, massive kudos to Xander for taking on a huge challenge at this point in his career. A breath of fresh air after being subjected to YEARS of a “now-declining” great who made a career out of marinating, ducking, and stacking the deck.
180 is wild
karen found holes with his right and was able to keep boots honest with his lack of pop and negative style
javiel centeno is also a bonus for xander
i think win or lose xander will move to 160 next, it’s smart for him to take the big money fight at the weight before moving on. it would have been very easy for him to move up and grab one of the vacant belts at 160, so i’m glad he’s giving us this fight