By Ken Hissner: At the Michelob ULTRA Arena, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 30th over Showtime current unbeaten welterweight contender Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 27-0-1ND (25) will meet former contender Thomas Dulorme, 25-5-1 (16), of Puerto Rico.
Ennis is trained by one of boxing’s top teacher-trainers, his father, Derrick “Bozy” Ennis, who is also co-manager with Cameron Dunkin, who once managed WBO welter champion Terence “Bud” Crawford.
Ennis was named “2020 Prospect of the Year” by Ring Magazine and is the third son trained by his father, including former USBA champ Derek “Pooh” Ennis and NABF champ Farah Ennis. Both “Bozy” and “Pooh” were recently inducted into the PAB HOF.
“My dad has me working on some new things to get better. We’re working on having me more relaxed in there and just staying sharp and alert, using my jab and going to the body a lot more. I never look for the knockout. I just go in there and do what I’m supposed to do, and I let the knockout come to me, which it usually does.”
In the Main event is WBA World Welterweight champ Jamal “Shango” James, 27-1, defending against Russian and No. 4 ranked Radzhab Butaev, 13-0. Ennis was finally put into the WBA rankings just behind Butaev.
Dulorme has lost his last two fights by decision to both James and Eimantas Stanionis, who the latter was scheduled on the same card but is off.
Ennis is currently ranked No. 3 IBF, No. 5 WBO, No. 5 WBA, No. 6 WBC, and No. 4 IBO. The WBA was the last to rank him this month.
Ennis has been having difficulty getting contenders to agree to fight him. It wasn’t until his last match former was IBF Light Welterweight champ and welterweight contender Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets, 16-1-1, whom Ennis stopped in 6 rounds.
In talking to “Bozy,” he said the trainer of Vergil Ortiz, Jr., 18-0 (18), ranked No. 2 in the WBC and WBA, No. 1 in the WBO, and behind Ennis at No. 5 in the IBF, his trainer Robert Garcia said, “Ortiz would knock out Ennis.” After seeing Ennis beat Lipinets, he was asked to fight one another, and Garcia said, “maybe in four years!” What does that tell you? “No Defense” Ortiz would be a sitting duck for Ennis, in this writer’s opinion.
Prior to that match, Ennis fought for the vacant IBO title ending in a No Decision with South Africa’s Chris Van Heerden, who couldn’t continue after one round due to a clash of heads causing a cut on his head and taking a beating in that round.
Ennis was 58-3 as an amateur and an Olympic alternate and turned 24 in June. He has fought in eleven states and DC, with ten matches in his hometown of Philadelphia, the last one in November 2018 stopping fellow Philadelphian Ray “Tito” Serrano, 24-5, stopping him in two rounds.
Some of the most recent matches Ennis was victorious in and stopping were Dominican Juan Carlos Abreu, 23-5-1, in 6 rounds, stopping Bakhtiyar “Bakha Bullet” Eyubov, 14-1-1, of KAZ, in 5 rounds, Demian “Popi” Fernandez, 12-1, of Argentina, in 3 rounds, Franklin “El Matador, Jr.” Mamani, 23-5-1, of Bolivia, in 1 round, Armand ”Macho” Alvarez, 18-0, of US, in 3 rounds, and “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis, 26-10-2, of Greece/US, in 2 rounds.
Ennis had scored sixteen straight stoppages prior to the Van Heerden match. He can fight an entire fight southpaw though a natural orthodox fighter.
Working the corner with “Bozy” is assistant trainer Lawrence Smalls. One of the boxers that he has sparred with is former contender “The New” Ray Robinson, also trained by “Bozy” and former USBA Super Lightweight champ Samuel “Tsunami” Teah.
This writer considers Ennis to be the best Philly prospect since 1984 Olympian Gold Medalist and world welterweight champion Meldrick Taylor and the “Can’t Miss Kid!”
Through “Bozy,” I was granted an interview with “Boots” for some questions before their leaving for Las Vegas Wednesday. He was sparring at the Philly 1 on 1 gym at 4301 Paul Street in North Philly, owned and run by Rob Acosta, who had boxers working out wall to wall.
KEN HISSNER: “Boots,” you have followed in the footsteps of your brothers and have exceeded them on the verge of a world title fight, I’m sure, in 2022. Do you feel 2022 will be the year for that title chance?
“BOOTS”: Yes, that is the plan.
KEN HISSNER: Wasn’t it finally great a contender in your last fight finally agreed to meet you?
“BOOTS”: It was great fighting a former world champion.
KEN HISSNER: Who is making the matches for “Boots”?
“BOZY”: Steve Espinoza who is good people to work with. (President of Showtime Sports who had 15 possible opponents turning down a bout with Ennis)
KEN HISSNER: It was a shame how the Van Heerden fight ended, for I know you would have scored a knockout, don’t you think?
“BOOTS”: He was looking for a way out.
KEN HISSNER: Not to look too much ahead, but with WBA champ Jamal James on the card and you finally getting ranked in the WBA at No. 5, do you think this could be your title chance in 2022?
“BOOTS”: Yes, and I understand he wanted one defense before giving me the opportunity.
KEN HISSNER: Thanks, “Boots,” for taking the time to answer some questions.
“BOOTS”: I appreciate you coming out here, Ken.