Jaron Ennis has never lost a fight as a professional and has only lost a handful of rounds. He never played a full three-minute round in which all three judges voted against him.
He is 30-0 with 26 knockouts and has been so dominant in his career that for his Saturday fight against 26-1 Roiman Villa, he is a -1400 favorite at BetMGM. Villa, who has 24 knockouts among his 26 wins, is a +1,000 underdog for their fight on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET, Showtime) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Ennis was not knocked out last time out, when he scored a lackluster unanimous decision over Karen Chukhadzhian to win the interim IBF welterweight title. Ennis swept all 12 rounds on all three cards, but it was a fight that didn’t feel like he was wiped out. Chukhadzhian never stopped trying and was never seriously injured in the fight.
Ennis has looked fantastic in the overwhelming majority of his 30 fights, so if he earned a shutout on his supposed worst night, he’s doing well.
His father, Derek, was once a fighter who compiled a record of 24-5-1 with 13 knockouts during a career that ended in 2014. And he taught his son the rules of the game from his younger age.
An old boxing adage reminds fighters to win the fight in front of you and worry about looking good in the next one. And like a grizzled veteran, Ennis was unfazed by any of the slingshots and arrows that came his way. Much was expected of him – and still is – and so when he doesn’t score a spectacular knockout, that’s news.
But he’s not fighting Villa with a chip on his shoulder or something to prove. He will do what he has always done: Win.
“To be honest with you, I don’t care what anyone would say about me,” he said. “As long as I do what I’m supposed to do and come out victorious, that’s all that matters. At the end of the day, having fights like this is a learning experience. That’s how you get better. . [The criticism] ain’t gonna do nothing but make me feel better and sharper. So I’m going to go out there and do what I’m supposed to do, do what we’ve been working on and hopefully take it to the next level.”
Villa are 26-1 with 24 knockouts and are coming off a win over Rashidi Ellis. Villa manager Sampson Lewkowicz told Yahoo Sports that Villa intend to fight Ennis in their next outing. They both fought on the same January 7 card.
Villa have scored 24 knockouts in their first 24 wins, compared to just one majority decision loss. In his last two outings, he has scored decisive wins over Janelson Bocachica and Ellis.
Ennis smiled at the news that Villa wanted to face him. Villa looked closely at Ennis, who didn’t know much about Chukhadzhian when they fought. He said his dad watched a Chukhadzhian movie and told him he was a simple fighter. He fought very differently against Ennis.
“One of the reasons I don’t watch a lot of movies of guys I fight with is because they fight in a way against somebody else and they fight in a way. any other way when they come with me,” he said. “My dad and the other guys on my team were telling me that they saw Karen and he was moving forward and he wasn’t moving much. They said he liked to press. But you saw how he pushed me. fought. So that’s a perfect example of why I don’t watch a lot [film].”
Chances are, however, that Villa won’t change their style. It could make things explosive.
Villa have a quality knockout record, although their opposition was not at Ennis’ level. Ennis has been one of the sport’s hottest prospects and a potential star due to his charisma and spraying power.
If Villa go for the knockout, it could make for a night to remember.
“He comes forward and doesn’t move his head much,” Ennis said of Villa. “He’s throwing these big wide hooks, some big looping shots. There’s a lot of stuff that we’ve seen.”
Not moving your head is always a problem in boxing, but especially against a formidable puncher like Ennis.
“I guess I can punch a little,” he laughed.
It’s just another weapon in the toolbox for him. People are excited for him, however, as he seems to have the arsenal to make him an elite boxer.
If he gets that big win over Villa, it will only be confirmation that he is one of the best young fighters in a sport that abounds with them.