Jaron Ennis didn’t get much of a chance to show off his ability.
Ennis, a fast-rising welterweight contender, was giving Chris van Heerden a shellacking in the opening round of their fight on the Emmanuel Rodriguez-Reymart Gaballo card Saturday in Uncasville, Conn, when disaster struck.
The fighters’ heads collided violently with about 20 seconds remaining in the round, causing a ghastly cut on van Heerden’s forehead.
The referee stopped the action, the ring doctor took a look and the fight was stopped immediately. The official time was 2:39. It was ruled a no-decision because the cut resulted from an accidental headbutt.
Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) looked formidable for 2½ minutes, fighting mostly from a southpaw stance. The uber-quick, powerful Philadelphian landed punishing shots from a variety of angles and to all legal targets.
Van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs) tried to stand his ground and fight back but he seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed by Ennis’ attack.
Then came the end. Ennis missed a straight left with van Heerden’s back against the ropes. Van Heerden reacted by lunging forward in an attempt to throw a right hand.
That’s when their heads collided. They both brought a glove to their heads and were experienced pain. However, only Van Heerden was cut.
Ennis had hoped to make a big statement, which he believed would lead to a matchup with one of the big-name 147-pounders. Obviously, that could still happen.
However, no one was happy about the way the fight ended on Saturday.