Ennis stepped forward several times while looking down, pointing a finger at the 23-year-old champion and closing the distance until both fighters were chest-touch. The situation escalated as Ennis continued to make gestures at close range, forcing officials to step in and separate them.

Zayas didn’t respond in the same way. He remained noiseless, unresponsive, and later pointed to the same exchange as evidence that the matchup might not go as Ennis expected.

“He kept trying to believe that he was as massive as me, that he was as statuesque as me. It’s different. It’s different. He saw it today,” Zayas said during a press conference.

In the June 27 fight, Ennis will move up to 154 pounds to challenge Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles. While most of the initial focus was on whether Ennis’ skills could handle the welterweight division, Zayas focused his message on physical presence and composure.

Even though Zayas is only 23, he has a maturity that usually takes a decade longer to develop. Ennis was clearly trying to check the younger man’s chin, metaphorically speaking, before they even put the gloves on.

Closing that distance and getting into his space, Boots looked for a crack in his armor, a wink, a stutter, or a reactionary shove that would signal that Zayas was feeling the heat.

Instead, Zayas treated it like a featherlight sparring session for the mind. There are several reasons why his reaction, or lack thereof, is so telling:

Zayas looked physically comfortable. When a guy increases his weight to fight you and tries to bully you, staying still is the best way to gain more power. It sends the message “you can’t move me.”

Zayas has become a marked man since signing at the age of 16. He’s used to veterans trying to be his “little brother.” He didn’t fall for it because he had already seen the script.

By not reacting, Zayas actually put pressure on Ennis again. Now Boots must wonder why his usual scare tactics didn’t work.

This is a case of an elite talent trying to employ alpha energy against a hero who is perfectly content to let his titles and his physique do the talking. If Ennis wanted to say Zayas was upset, he showed up empty-handed.

“I just feel like he gets frustrated when things don’t go his way, and he’s really going to be frustrated on June 27,” Zayas said.

Xander is basically telling the world that Ennis hits a “frustration trigger” when he can’t find his rhythm. The two fights with Karen Chukhadzhian are the perfect template for Zayas’ argument.

In their first meeting in early 2023, Chukhadzhian’s movement and constant angles snapped Ennis’ 19-fight knockout streak. You could see the irritation building in Ennis as the rounds wore on and the highlight reel remained out of reach.

Even though Ennis won the rematch in Philadelphia in 2024, many described it as a “flat” and “sloppy” performance. Despite the knockdown, Ennis looked visibly concerned about his holding and defensive tactics. He even admitted later that it’s demanding to “stand up” in front of guys he doesn’t respect as his biggest threats.

If Zayas causes Ennis to miss in the first few rounds on June 27, he’s betting that “Boots” will lose his temper and make the kind of defensive mistakes we’ve seen in his recent outings.

“Man, to be great you have to face the good guys,” Zayas said. “Just take the effortless way. I want to be great. That’s how you do it.”

Zayas positions himself as an old-school master who finds the biggest threats while casting doubt on Ennis’s career management.

While “Boots” is undeniably talented, the perceived wobble in his career has created an opportunity for Zayas to attack his “greatness”:

Missing out on the Vergil Ortiz fight when both were emerging contenders is often cited as a missed opportunity to prove he was the next generation’s top dog.

Whether it was promotional hurdles or strategic waiting, the fact that Ennis never shared a ring with Terence Crawford while “Bud” held all the cards at welterweight remains a major “what if” question.

Making the correction rather than challenging his top rival immediately after advancing gave Zayas the ammunition to say Ennis was playing it secure.

By going public, Zayas is trying to get into Ennis’ head. He basically says, “I’m the youthful lion who wants smoke, and you’re the one who’s waiting for the right conditions.” He puts pressure on Ennis to not only win, but to be spectacular and prove Zayas wrong.

Zayas seems to understand that in today’s boxing competition, fans respect the “take on everyone” mentality more than an undefeated record against weaker competition.