Jaron Ennis Vacating Belt Ahead of Xander Zayas Title Fight

Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis will no longer be a title unification bout.

As the WBA and WBO super welterweight champion, Zayas' titles will be on the line when one of the biggest title fights of the year goes down on June 27. However, Ennis is vacating the WBA interim 154-pound belt to compete for Zayas' full title, according to BoxingScene.

The belts would have been unified anyway, but Ennis' title is instead just getting scrapped ahead of the fight.

Jaron Ennis has vacated his WBA interim 154lb title in order to compete for both Xander Zayas’ WBO and WBA belts.#ZayasEnnis pic.twitter.com/IK1mlqRZmc
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 14, 2026

Following the news of Ennis' vacation, the WBA did not announce whether it would keep the interim belt open or scrap it altogether. Regardless of who wins the June 27 title fight, the WBA could still opt to crown another interim champion later in the year.

Prior to vacating the belt, Ennis was one of two interim champions in the super welterweight division. Vergil Ortiz Jr. still owns the WBC interim 154-pound title as he deals with a headache-inducing legal situation with his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.

Ennis has now vacated a title for the second time in as many fights. He previously dropped the IBF, WBA and The Ring welterweight titles when he moved up to 154 pounds to face Eimantas Stanionis in his divisional debut.

Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis to crown true 154-pound king

Ennis vacating his interim title does nothing to change the magnitude of his upcoming bout with Zayas. The winner will still be able to officially stake his claim as the true super welterweight champion, even if he would not be the undisputed king.

Zayas currently owns two of the division's five titles after taking the WBA belt from Abass Baraou in his most recent outing. Ennis is only 1-0 in the division, but a win over Zayas, whom many view as arguably the best fighter in the division, would already put him above the rest of the pack.

Both Zayas and Ennis have added that they seek unification status following their massive fight. Ennis' father, Bozy Ennis, specifically stated that he is eyeing WBC champion Sebastian Fundora after beating Zayas. Bozy Ennis praised Fundora as the best fighter in the division.

If nothing else, the Zayas-Ennis matchup provides both champions with an opportunity to vault themselves into becoming a pay-per-view star. The division has lacked top-end star power since Terence Crawford moved up to beat Israil Madrimov in August 2024, one fight before he moved up two more divisions and beat Canelo Alvarez in one of the biggest events in recent boxing history.

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