By Sean Jones: Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) proved that he was on another level tonight with an easier than expected tenth round knockout victory over a game Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs). Boot’s knockout pleased the loud crowd at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Ennis landed two big right hands to the face of the bloodied & battered Roiman in the 10th to put him down for the knockout.
The fight ended well for the 26-year-old Boots Ennis, with him scoring a highlight reel knockout over the brave challenge Roiman.
Villa made the mistake of starting the fight too slowly by giving away the first three rounds by failing to throw many punches. By the second, Villa’s nose was bloodied from the many jabs that Boots had hit him with.
When Villa did finally start letting his hands go in the fourth, he did well, appearing to stun Ennis and giving him a lot to think about in the round. Although Villa was still getting hit a lot, he was at least making Jaron pay for the shots he did land.
In some respects, it came a lot later than it could have, as it looked like Ennis purposefully backed off after hurting him in the sixth.
Boots wasn’t pressing Villa hard in rounds seven through nine, and it looked like he wanted to keep him around to showcase his talent to the world.
Villa was just soaking up punishment in the last four rounds, and much of the power that he’d had earlier in the fight was gone. It literally had been beaten out of him by Ennis.
Jaron’s accuracy was a little off during that final barrage of punches, as he missed two left hands that would have put the hurt 30-year-old Villa down quicker.
The results of tonight’s massacre by Boots Ennis might make WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford and IBF, WBA & WBC champ Errol Spence Jr think twice about sticking around the division to face him because he’d be hazardous to their health.
Before the fight, Ennis talked of wanting to fight the older welterweights Keith Thurman or Yordenis Ugas next, but we’ll see if one of those two will be interested in fighting him.
The former WBA & WBC 147-lb champion Thurman, who is now a gatekeeper at 147, might be willing to agree to fight with Ennis if the money is right. Thurman can forget about getting a shot at Spence or Crawford.