Boots Ennis grades himself C+ after Zayas stoppage win

Boots Ennis stopped Xander Zayas to retain his welterweight title Saturday night at Barclays Center but walked out of the ring thinking he left his best work in the gym.

Speaking to reporters after the knockout victory, Ennis gave himself a C+ grade for the performance, per Bad Left Hook. "I know I'm way better than that," he said. "I listened to the corner a little bit, not too much. They was telling me to do speed and I was one-shot popping. It's the shots that you don't see and I should've been using a little bit more speed."

What Ennis said about getting caught in round three

Ennis survived a hairy exchange in the third round when Zayas connected with a clean shot. The Philadelphia champion brushed it off as a lapse in concentration. "I was chilling. Cool, calm and collected," he said, according to the report. "A little lazy on the inside, got caught with a good shot but I was cool. When it's madness going on, I just get calm and just be patient."

His father and trainer Bozy Ennis echoed the criticism, telling the media that Boots leans back too often because opponents feel easy to him. Bozy said his son could have jabbed Zayas's face off all night but chose instead to play around and get the finish.

Ennis also dismissed recent callouts from Vergil Ortiz and Terence Crawford. On Ortiz, who claimed he would knock Ennis out, Boots laughed and asked why Ortiz never took the fight when it was offered. On Crawford's post-fight shade, Ennis said he is not worried about retired fighters.

Ennis said he plans to sharpen up in camp and take over the welterweight division. His next opponent and date have not been announced.

Photo: Bf0325 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Original reporting:

• badlefthook.com — Boots Ennis reacts to stoppage win over Xander Zayas | Bad Left Hook