Hot prospect Jaron Ennis was in need of a true breakout victory to put his name alongside the big names at Welterweight, and the Philadelphian got exactly that, stopping Sergey Lipinets, in six rounds at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday.
Ennis, 23, has still not gone past six rounds as a professional, and extended his perfect record as a result of his latest win over former ten stone world champion, Lipinets.
‘Boots’ was able to switch seamlessly between styles during the fight, and Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KOs) was simply outgunned, as he struggled to find any sort of foothold in the contest.
Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) scored a fourth round knockdown, which looked more like a trip, but an uppercut landed in the exchange, which was then counted by the referee.
It was the second knockdown ruled against ‘Samurai’, with the first coming in his only previous defeat to Mikey Garcia in 2018.
The Russian simply couldn’t cope with the constant combination work of the young, hungry Ennis and the end was simply going to be a matter of time in what was an impressive performance by the younger man.
The conclusion came in the sixth, when a hard right hand followed by a left uppercut right through Lipinets’ guard floored him heavily, and the referee waved the fight off upon impact.
Ennis connected with over 50% of his power punches in what was a dominant performance, but he still found room for improvement.
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“I’ll always be hard on myself when I look back on my performance,” said Ennis post fight.
“My goal is to keep getting better, sharper, faster and stronger so I can become world champion.
“I feel like I’ll be world champion by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.”
Stanionis outlasts Dulorme
Eimantas Stanionis also took a step up on the card, and the Lithuanian passed his toughest test to date as he outscored Thomas Dulorme in what was an eliminator for the WBA Welterweight title.
Stanionis had never previously been past nine rounds as a professional, but he came through the challenge of Dulorme by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
Ancajas retains IBF crown
There was also world title action on the bill, and Jerwin Ancajas defended his IBF Super Flyweight title for a ninth time with an all-action points win against the tough Jonathan Rodriguez.
The Filipino is much in the mould of his countryman, Manny Pacquiao, and it was another exciting performance, but the 29-year-old didn’t have things all his own way, having to engage in toe-to-toe warfare at times.
At the end of the eighth, ‘Pretty Boy’ threw a volley of punches, and a huge right hand decked Rodriguez (22-2, 16 KOs) for the first time in his career.
The contest went the distance though, and scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 ensured Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) remained champion.
Magsayo KO’s Cruz
Another Filipino impressed on the bill, as Mark Magsayo (22-0, 15 KOs) took out Pablo Cruz (21-4, 6 KOs) in four rounds of their scheduled eight rounder at Super Featherweight.
Holyfield extends unbeaten streak
Evan Holyfield (6-0, 4 KOs), son of former undisputed Cruiserweight & Heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield moved to 6-0 as he won a four round unanimous decision at Middleweight against Nicholas Compton (2-4).
