Jaron Boots Ennis is due to fight Xander Zayas in boxing tonight in New York and a strange pre-fight request has come in.
It came from the regulators of the event tonight in boxing. The New York State Athletic Commission.
They asked Jaron Ennis to trim his beard before the fight with Jaron Ennis.
Something you do not really see in professional boxing.
By all accounts he has gone ahead and trimmed the beard ahead of the fight tonight with Xander Zayas in their 154 pounds match up.
Not that it would give him an advantage in our view.
It is most likely for basic medical reasons from the Commission but an old school of thought used to say it gave fighters an advantage.
In being able to have slightly more punch resistance for taking punches with the beard acting essentially as a buffer from a punch.
To in theory deflect from the impact of a punch. It does not.
We do not think this school of thought is actually true and is important to clarify that for new fans to the sport.
As boxing returns to the masses this year.
In the sport of MMA (mixed martial arts) beards are much more common for their fighters and champions in their sport.
They allow them more and for new boxing fans — excessive beards are not allowed in professional boxing.
Once again, not that is gives a fighter an advantage.
It does not.
Both Jaron Ennis and Xander Zayas made weight yesterday and the main advantage going into this fight is the weight cut in our view.
Zayas made weight but had to get rid of around 28 pounds in the run-up to tonight in boxing.
That is a big weight cut and could effect his cardio over the rounds later on tonight.
Jaron Ennis is moving up from welterweight and is the bigger puncher and could have better gas tank tonight as well in theory.
Ennis has had more professional boxing experience than Zayas in his career but they are both undefeated.
Both come into this all guns blazing.
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