Most observers see unified junior middleweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis as the clear favorite ahead of his June 27 bout with Xander Zayas.

But at least one analyst is starting to see this fight differently.

“Maybe I’m starting to buy into the idea that Zayas might have a better chance than most people are giving him,” Chris Mannix said on DAZN’s Beyond The Bell.

Mannix also revealed that confidence in Zayas’ camp is growing as the fight gets closer.

“When I talk to people in his camp, they say he’s having the best camp he’s ever had, that he’s as motivated as ever. He hears all the doubters. He sees all the activity on social media,” Chris said.

Former world champion Sergio Mora agreed that Zayas brings a unique challenge to the fight, pointing to his size advantage over Ennis.

“He’s naturally a bigger fighter. He’s going to pressure Boots. We saw Boots get hit,” Mora said. “Can he take hits from a bigger fighter like Xander Zayas, who is just confident?”

Zayas enters the fight as a junior middleweight with a long career, while Ennis is preparing for just his second appearance at 154 pounds after moving up from welterweight earlier this year. Although Ennis remains the bookmakers’ favorite, this fight has become one of the most anticipated fights of this summer.

The winner will leave Brooklyn with Ennis’ unified WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles and take an vital step towards becoming a top attraction in the division.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most vital fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.

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Last updated: 22/06/2026 at 3:53

When talking about his future plans, Andrade mentioned several top contenders and division champions as potential targets.

“I think the fighters that have to fight, the fights that have to happen, are like, you know, me again, Charlo, me, Berlanga, me, Mbilli, me, Plant,” Andrade told YSM Sports Media. “These are all great fights that could happen, and we’re all in the same age group and the same era of boxing, so I thought, why not do it?”

Plant, Berlanga and Mbilli are looking for a title shot, while a fight between Andrade and Jermall Charlo never materialized during their championship years.

Andrade (32-1, 19 KO) has not fought since a sixth-round loss to David Benavidez in November 2023 and will return after a nearly three-year break. The 38-year-old former champion hasn’t recorded any high-profile victories in recent years and has yet to announce an opponent for his July 24 return at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“I believe 68 is open,” Andrade said. “Boxing needs me back in the ring because there are great fights ahead of us.”

The return comes after a hard period for Andrade. He hasn’t fought since a sixth-round loss to David Benavidez in November 2023. Before that loss, his last victory was in January 2023 against Demond Nicholson.

Although Andrade spent years fighting names like Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin and the Charlo brothers, none of those fights came to fruition during the prime years of his career as a 154- and 160-pound champion.

Andrade is now 38 years elderly and returning after a long break. He is trying to rebuild his position in a division that includes WBC champion Christian Mbilli, former titleholder Caleb Plant and challenger Edgar Berlanga.

Andrade immediately focuses on ending his inactivity and preparing for fights that he believes should have happened years ago.

“My goal is to become world champion in three divisions: 154, 160 and then 168,” Andrade said.

Canelo Alvarez no longer holds the super middleweight world title, but that doesn’t stop many of his 168-pound rivals from targeting him for a fight.

Alvarez lost for the first time at super middleweight when he was overtaken by Terence Crawford last yearbut the 35-year-old will have the opportunity to reclaim the WBC belt upon his return in September when he fights recent champion Christian Mbilli.

A victory will see Canelo enter the next era of the super middleweight division as a man with a target on his back, as a host of fresh operators jostle for a lucrative take on the four-division world champion.

One of those fighters is Diego Pacheco of California, who was ready to fight for the WBO super middleweight title against Hamzah Sheeraz until the latter withdrew his offers and did not allow Sheeraz to fight Al Begic, who was stopped within two rounds by the Briton.

In an interview with ESNEWSPacheco cited his three-man hit list, which included both Canelo and Sheeraz, as well as WBA super middleweight titleholder Jaime Munguia.

“[Jaime] Munguia, [Hamzah] Sheeraz and Canelo, [that is who I want]. I think me and Munguia will go the distance, I will stop Hamzah Sheeraz, and me and Canelo will also go the distance, but I will definitely win all three.

Pacheco recently extended his contract with Matchroom Boxing and hopes to maintain his unbeaten record of 25 fights when he appears on home turf against Immanuwel Aleem on the Cruz-Bell card on Saturday, July 18.