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Jaron Ennis was dominant as he claimed a seventh-round knockout victory over Xander Zayas to unify the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles at Brooklyn Center in New York.
The loss marks the first of his career for Zayas, moving him to 23-1, while Ennis moves to 36-0, including an impressive 32 knockouts.
This means Ennis now holds both titles at 154lbs.
Ennis knew a win in this fight would make a statement, and with that, he marched in with intent, dropping Zayas with a left hand and two more in the fight.
Jaron Ennis sends Xander Zayas to the canvas for a seventh-round KO win
Zayas rallied in the third and fourth rounds, his right hand causing problems for Ennis backing him up on the ropes, but took control from ‘Boots’ in the fifth when he dropped his opponent a second time.
With 1:49 on the clock in the seventh round, Zayas hit the deck again after taking a barrage of left hooks. Even though he got up before the count, the referee called this time.
Whittaker stopped Rivera in the second round
Ben Whittaker picked up a dominant second round knockout win over Richard Rivera on the undercard in his US debut.
The fight was just 27 seconds into the second round when Whittaker knocked Rivera out a second time and secured the victory that moved him to 12-0-1 with nine knockouts.
Whittaker was always in control against his 35-year-old opponent, his jabs proving too much for Rivera to handle.
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Jack Chely insists he doesn’t see Ben Whittaker as his ‘competition’ and claims he has snubbed the Olympic silver medalist in past sparring sessions
After powerful right hands sent him to the canvas late in the opening round, it wasn’t long before the bell rang for the second that another combination proved too much for Rivera.
The win is another important win for Whittaker as he continues his rise in the light heavyweight division, aiming for a world title fight at 175lbs.
Indeed, promoter Eddie Hearn believes Whittaker is “three fights” away from challenging for the light-heavyweight world titles, and a major domestic clash against fellow Englishman Joshua Buatsi or Scotland’s Willie Hutchinson could happen later this year.
“I think me and Buatsi are kind of close,” Whittaker said Sky Sports. “I think we’re two and three in the WBC (rankings), so something like that could happen.
“And Willie, I’ve beaten him before in the amateurs, so it would be nice to get another win over him in the pros.
“But for me, who is next, who will make sense, who will take me where I need to go.”
Watch Edwin De Los Santos vs Jose Valenzuela live Sky Sports Sunday from 9.30 p.m.
