Jaron Ennis says the right things.
“Boots” says he isn’t looking past his fight against Chris van Heerden Saturday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. (Showtime). He says he’s patiently building his fan base and waiting for his turn to take on the elite welterweights.
At the same time, he acknowledges that big things seem to lie ahead. Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) has a rare combination of ability and power, which has made him one of the brightest burgeoning stars.
“I feel like I’ve been ready for those guys since I was like 18-0,” he told Boxing Junkie, referring to the top 147-pounders. “I’ve been trying to get them. It’s been hard. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer.
“And after I make a big statement [on Saturday], I should be able to get fights against the big names.”
Ennis, once a top amateur, reminds some of a young Roy Jones Jr. The Philadelphian has unusual quickness and athleticism – along with a less tangible flair – but also can end fights with a single punch. He has stopped his last 16 opponents, including a sixth-round knockout of Juan Carlos Abreu on Sept. 19.
And this is scary: He said he still isn’t turning his punches off, still not sitting down completely on his power shots. The knockouts just happen.
“I just go in there and have fun and try to be the best version of me,” he said. “I listen to what my dad [and trainer Derek Ennis Sr.] says, do the game plan. And nine out of 10 times it ends up being a knockout.”
Can he maintain the streak against van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs)?
Well, this a particularly interesting test for Ennis because one of those elite welterweights – Errol Spence Jr. – knocked out the South African in eight rounds in 2015. That’s only time the 33-year-old from Johannesburg was stopped.
Van Heerden has won five consecutive fights since against solid, but second-tier opposition. He probably isn’t a significant threat to a fighter of Ennis’ ability.
Still, Ennis says he’s motivated. He’s ranked by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, meaning a title fight is within sight. He can’t afford a slip up.
“That’s definitely not an issue,” he said. “Every fight I feel like I’m hungrier and hungrier, better and better. I wan to continue performing on a high level, building my fan base. And I want to keep giving you guys a different look every fight.
“… And then, after I make a statement on Saturday, this is it. I’m at the door. In 2021 I’m knocking down the door.”
Yes, Ennis is thinking big.
His immediate goal is to win a 147-pound title and then unify. Then he wants to do the same at 154, then 160 and possibly beyond. He wants to be mentioned in the same sentence as his idols, Jones, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sweet Pea Whitaker.
In other words, he said, “I want to be a legend.”
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