Claressa Shields defends Boots Ennis after Zayas stoppage

Claressa Shields says Jaron 'Boots' Ennis delivered an elite performance against Xander Zayas despite critics fixating on a single difficult moment.

Speaking to media at her own fight announcement against Kaye Scott, Shields dismissed the narrative that Zayas hurt Ennis in the third round of their middleweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super middleweight title clash. "I know everybody else commentary is the third round of the fight where Zayas supposedly hurt Boots and that's what they like to keep going around and saying," Shields said, per Bad Left Hook. "But for Boots to have no belts and go over there and fight a guy who says he's going to take his heart and he's going to do all this, he go over there — I like Xander, I do — Boots beat the hell out of him from the first bell, dropped him."

Shields criticizes double standard in Zayas-Ennis reaction

Shields argued that Ennis is being held to an unfair standard compared to Zayas, who was stopped in the bout. "People get hit in fights, that happens. See, to me, that is an A+ performance by Boots. You cannot discredit him," she said. She pointed out that had the result been reversed, Ennis would face harsh criticism for quitting, while Zayas receives praise for heart despite being unable to continue.

Looking ahead, Shields identified Sebastian Fundora as a significant test for Ennis at 154 pounds. She noted Fundora's extreme height and reach pose unique problems but said Ennis has the tools to win if he avoids the kind of clean punches he absorbed from Zayas. "He can't make the same mistake he made getting hit with that straight jab and that right, he can't do that with Fundora," Shields warned.

Shields called Ennis the top fighter at junior middleweight and urged fans to give him proper credit for dismantling a highly regarded opponent from the opening bell.

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• Bad Left Hook — ‘You cannot discredit him’: Claressa Shields praises Boots Ennis’ performance against Xander Zayas