Who's Next for Jaron Ennis After Electric Zayas Victory?

Ennis put on s show at the Barclays Centre to become champion at super welterweight

Jaron Ennis vs Xander Zayas | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis put on a career-best performance last night to dethrone boxing’s youngest reigning world champion, Xander Zayas, at the Barclays Center and become a two-weight unified world champion.

Zayas was a more than willing opponent and showed how he became unified champion, hauling himself from the canvas in rounds one, five, and seven before eventually being stopped in the seventh. But as Boots promised, the gulf in class and experience between the two was clear as the American overcame his toughest opponent to date.

The question now remains – has Ennis done enough to be included in the mystical pound-for-pound list, or does he still have something to prove at super welterweight before he becomes a true boxing superstar?

Let’s take a look at who could be next for Ennis, after saying his plan was to become undisputed at 154lbs, and how he would fare if he did take on these names.

Sebastian Fundora (WBC champion)

Sebastian Fundora | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

If Ennis hopes to become undisputed at super welterweight, having already been given a head start by picking up two of the belts at the same time, Sebastian Fundora will more than likely be on Ennis’ list.

Fundora is coming off a run of impressive victories, including two wins over former champion Tim Tszyu and Keith Thurman in his last fights. Fighting the WBC champion is a tough ask for anyone, given his unique dimensions, standing 6’5” at 154lbs.

We have seen that Fundora is slightly susceptible to getting caught with his chin in the air, which ironically it always is at his height, but he did fall in dramatic fashion against Brian Mendoza in his first and only career loss.

If anyone in the division could find the shot to put Fundora down, it would be Ennis, and he certainly carries enough power. But if Fundora has one of his best nights, he could well outpoint Ennis, keeping him on the end of long, spiteful straight shots.

Josh Kelly (IBF Champion)

Josh Kelly

Josh Kelly would be another of the remaining champions that Ennis would need to conquer before being able to call himself undisputed, that is, if he still holds his title.

Ennis will have to be patient in getting himself a fight with Kelly as he may be defending his belt for the first time on July 25th in Saudi Arabia against Caoimhin Agyarko, on the Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga undercard.

Kelly only acquired his belt early this year by putting on a career-best performance to upset the much-avoided former champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Most would probably agree that Ennis would be the favorite if the pair met in the ring, as he would have a significant size and power advantage over Kelly. Perhaps it’s the British bias, but Kelly proved in his last fight that when he is well prepared, he is an extremely elusive and sneakily powerful fighter who can catch you at any angle.

Ennis has never faced a fighter with Kelly’s pure boxing ability, so it would certainly be a tough fight for Ennis, as it would take him rounds to figure out his style, by which time Kelly may have run away with the fight.

Vergil Ortiz (WBC interim champion)

Vergil Ortiz lands a right hand on Serhii Bohachuk. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Vergil Ortiz, despite not possessing a world title, is considered one of the best fighters in the super welterweight division and a perfect match-up for ‘Boots’.

There were talks at the end of last year, but the fight never materialized as it seemed that the promoters wanted the pair to fight for a world title to make it as magnetic as possible for the fans.

Ennis has now held up his end of the bargain, holding the WBA and WBO belts. Ortiz is the mandatory challenger for Fundora’s WBC strap, having held the interim belt for two years and in that time beating Sergey Bohachuk, Israil Madrimov, and Erickson Lubin to stay at the top of the tree.

It seems as though Ortiz is confident in his ability to beat Ennis, posting to his social media after his rival’s victory: “Yea I’m sleeping Jaron.”

Yea I’m sleeping Jaron

— Vergil Ortiz Jr. (@VergilOrtiz) June 28, 2026

Followed by: “If I get him like that, I promise I get him out of there.”

It would certainly be a clash of styles as Ortiz loves to operate on the inside, and Ennis admitted after his fight last night that he got a bit lazy whilst up close with Zayas, something he certainly couldn’t afford to do with Ortiz.

But if Ennis can be at his best, then there is no reason he can’t outbox the interim champion across 12 rounds.