JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT
Boots Ennis Wants Undisputed — And Fundora Is The Fight To Make
Boots Ennis is the unified 154-pound king after battering Xander Zayas. He wants undisputed — and Sebastian Fundora is the fight to make. Here's my read.
July 2, 2026
By Luke Parker
- Jaron 'Boots' Ennis unified the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles by stopping Xander Zayas in seven
- Ennis now wants to be undisputed at 154, and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora is the obvious next target
- Luke says make Ennis vs Fundora next — and backs Boots to handle the height and reach to complete the set
A Statement In Brooklyn
Right then.
Jaron 'Boots' Ennis didn't just beat
Xander Zayas at the Barclays Center — he announced himself as the man at 154. Three knockdowns and a seventh-round stoppage against an unbeaten, naturally bigger champion. That is not a points-nicking win, that is a proper statement, and it makes Boots the unified WBA and WBO junior middleweight king in only his second fight at the weight.
Let's not beat around the bush: Ennis is levels above most of this division. The switch-hitting, the body work, the timing — it all travelled up from welterweight without losing a thing. Now he's said the magic word: undisputed.
Fundora Is The Fight To Make
The belt still out there belongs to
Sebastian Fundora, the WBC champion, and make no mistake, that's the fight. The "Towering Inferno" is a genuine nightmare of a puzzle — 6ft 5in with a jab he throws downhill and a chin that keeps taking him into wars and out the other side. He's beaten good men and proven he'll drag you into deep water.
For Ennis to be undisputed, he has to solve the size and the awkwardness. I think he can. Boots is the sharper, faster, more complete boxer, and Fundora's habit of getting hit means there will be openings. But it's a real fight, not a gimme, and that's exactly why the fans want it.
Don't Forget The Crawford Noise
Terence Crawford has already been dismissive of the Zayas win, and that kind of talk only sharpens the picture. If Ennis becomes undisputed at 154, the pound-for-pound conversation gets very loud very quickly. That's the level Boots is playing for now.
My Verdict
Time to call it. Make Ennis vs Fundora next and don't muck about. I back Boots to handle the height, box smart on the outside, and break Fundora down late — Ennis to become undisputed by stoppage in the second half of the fight. If he does it, he's a two-weight, undisputed champion and one of the best on the planet. Brilliant to watch, and nowhere near finished.
