Boxing runs deep in the roots of rising Welterweight contender Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and with every ferocious victory he is putting the 147lbs division on notice, as he devises his own assault on the world scene in the not too distant future.
On Saturday night, Ennis (25-0, 23 KOs) has the opportunity to enhance his reputation further against Juan Carlos Abreu on the undercard of Erickson Lubin’s clash with Terrell Gausha at Mohegan Sun Casino.
Born and still residing in Philadephia, ‘Boots’ is trained by his father Derek Ennis, a former professional himself and the 23-year-old is intent on continuing his family’s legacy, which has already been set in stone by his two brothers Farah and Derek, who didn’t quite reach world level themselves, but Jaron could be on a path to reach those heights himself.
Ennis has been devastating in his near four year professional career, blitzing through almost every challenge put in front of him.
The slick, switch-hitter has skill and punch power in abundance, with a left hand which is becoming his prized weapon, as both a ripping hook and meticulous straight shot.
His explosive, fan-friendly style is complimented by his flamboyant ring walk outfits.
In his last fight against Bakhtiyar Eyubov in January, Ennis sported bright orange and green oversized shorts with white tassels, with yellow boots and gloves to match, as he stormed to a fourth round stoppage victory.
The 2015 National Golden Gloves champion was selected as an alternate for the 2016 US Olympic team, but instead turned over and has been almost punch-perfect.
In fact, Ennis has not been the distance since his tenth fight, scoring 10 first round stoppages, as well as 13 knockdowns in his last six bouts, which is sending shockwaves through the division.
Ennis chooses to do his talking in the ring, however promoter Cameron Dunkin, who has previously managed the careers of WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford, Nonito Donaire and Mikey Garcia, to name a few has described the knockout artist as “the best fighter I’ve ever signed,” making comparisons to four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr, whilst promoter Lou Di Bella has described him as the “best prospect in the United States.”
Immense praise for a fighter yet to truly step up, however Ennis would have gained even more confidence and knowledge from his last win against the usually durable Eyubov.
‘Boots’ became the first man to knockdown the Kazakh with a pinpoint straight left hand, followed up with a flurry of combination blows, as Eyubov hit the canvas twice in round one.
To his credit, Eyubov composed himself amid the onslaught and landed some decent shots of his own, as Ennis opted to stay in range.
However, such is his accuracy, frightening speed and astute measure of distance, ‘Boots’ forced the referee to call a halt in round four to become only the second man to stop his 33-year-old foe, on the undercard of Claressa Shields’ historic win over Ivana Habazin to become a three-weight titlist in Atlantic City.
Ennis will face stiffer tests as he moves towards the cusp of a world title shot, where he may be forced into deep waters and not allowed the time to settle by one of the more experienced champions, in a division which features unified WBC and IBF holder Errol Spence Jr, eight-weight titlist Manny Pacquiao, former world champions Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, as well as fellow rising, unbeaten powerhouse Vergil Ortiz Jr.
With top 15 rankings in both the WBO (#12) and IBF (#14) respectively, ‘Boots’ could face an eliminator for a world title before not too long.
A victory inside the distance against Abreu would be an impressive feat, with the 33-year-old having not been halted in any of his five defeats, with former world title challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas settling for a unanimous decision win in 2018.
One thing is for sure, Ennis has bags of potential and a striking ring IQ to cement his position in the 147lbs division for years to come, whilst continuing a family name missing that elusive world title.
