It took 10 rounds, but thanks to his knocking out Roiman Villa at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, Jaron “Boots” Ennis might get his title shot.
ABOVE PHOTO: The dominance of Jaron “Boots” Ennis was never more apparent than during the welterweight fight against Roiman Villa at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall last Saturday. (Photos by Webster Riddick)
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
Atlantic City, N.J.— For the first nine and a half rounds of Jaron “Boots” Ennis’s welterweight fight against Roiman Villa, it wasn’t as much about the outcome of the fight itself as much as it was about how much punishment Villa had taken while still being able to stand.
Whether he was coming at Villa in the boxer’s orthodox stance or left-handed as a southpaw, the North Philadelphia native and International Boxing Federation interim champion dominated Villa throughout the fight with power even when the Venezuelan fighter was coming forward. Before the ninth round, the doctor at ringside checked on Villa to see if he could continue.
“I was setting him up,” Ennis said. “I hit him with a big left hand, and I knew he was going down. So, I was waiting for the left shot, and I threw a hook, and I knew he was going so I just threw one more and that was it. I knew they were going to stop it.”
In the 10th, a vicious left-right combination by Ennis put Villa on the canvas and ended the fight for good to give the rising boxing star his 31st win, 28th knockout and retention of his title on Saturday night at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
“I knew he was a tough guy,” Ennis said. “I knew I was going to break him down eventually. He had his hands up high and walked forward, walk forward … I just had to take my time and eventually I’ll get him.”
More importantly, Ennis’s emphatic display of his boxing brilliance served notice to all who witnessed it that he is gunning for anyone willing to step in the ring with him. That includes both Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, who will be fighting for the undisputed world welterweight championship on July 29 in Las Vegas.
“Spence-Crawford is a great fight, a 50-50 fight, may the best man win,” Ennis said after the fight. “And Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants the winner of Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. Let’s make it happen.”
The only problem with Ennis waiting on the Spence-Crawford winner is that there is a rematch clause that the loser of that fight will not doubt use, especially if that fight is close, which means that it’s more likely that Ennis will be fighting someone else before he gets to the unified title belt promised land.
Some of the fighters that he could possibly be taking on include 34-year-old former welterweight title Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 knockouts); former world champion Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 knockouts); World Boxing Association no. 1 welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz (19-0, 19 knockouts); and unbeaten Eimantas Stanionias (14-0, nine knockouts).
Ennis, who plans to be back in the gym this week, said he is ready to fight any welterweight contender or former champion willing to get into the ring with him.
“I’ll take Stanionis. Virgil Ortiz fell out, so I’ll take Stanionis in a heartbeat,” Ennis said. “I want to get into the ring one more time before the end of the year to make it three. Stanionis, Keith Thurman, Ugas, Bud, Spence, all the top guys out there. Let’s make these fights happen.”
Amid all the speculation about his next opponent, Ennis said before the fight that he was looking to put on an outstanding performance after winning what some in the boxing world considered a surprising unanimous decision against Ukrainian Karen Chuhaudzjian back in January.
With Villa stalking forward, Ennis dominated the fight using his fast hands and power with both hands to keep his opponent off. According to Compubox numbers, Ennis landed 164 power punches, good for 47 percent for the fight. For the fight, Ennis landed 36 percent of the 622 punches he threw.
Ennis’s trainer and father Derek “Bozy” Ennis said that his son gets better with each fight and still has plenty of room to grow.
“If (Jaron Ennis) can fight somebody that can really fight, he goes to another level,” Bozy Ennis said. “He showed you the level that he can go to. (Villa) is tough. Nobody ever stopped this guy, and the guy can punch. …Y’all ain’t seen nothing yet.”
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