Ennis salutes 'great fighter' Zayas amid 'quit' claims

Jaron Ennis has refuted suggestions Xander Zayas quit in their light-middleweight battle, paying tribute to "a great fighter".

'Boots' earned double honours with his WBA and WBO title victory against his rival last month with a seventh-round victory.

Yet critics have suggested that Zayas could have done more in the fight, having failed to go the distance against his foe.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show though, Ennis has pushed back on the notion, instead chalking it up to his own skills.

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"To be honest, I don't think he quit," he said. "I just think I beat the fight out of him. He's a great fighter and a solid champion.

"I appreciate him for [the] opportunity. He'll be champion again. If the corner didn't throw the towel, I think he would have got up."

Ennis further opened up on his performance, admitting that he got "lazy in moments", adding on his own turn: "You can't do that."

"When it gets too easy, you’ve got to pick it up. I'm glad the fight went how it went. It was nothing but a learning experience for me."

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