Weekend Review: Jaron Ennis: Special fighter delivers special performance

Weekend Review: Jaron Ennis: A special fighter delivered a special performance on Saturday in Atlantic City.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Jaron Ennis

We won’t know with certainty how good Jaron Ennis is until he graduates to top-level opposition but no one scores higher on the eye test. “Boots” looked like a perfect fighter against a solid, durable but hopelessly overmatched opponent in Roiman Villa on Saturday night in Atlantic City, dominating the Venezuelan before scoring a brutal knockout in the 10th round. Natural gifts? No one has his combination of speed, athleticism and power. No one. Skill set? Jab, power shot(s), movement, repeat. His ability to follow that formula rendered Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) helpless. And he’s a perfectionist, meaning he’s only going to get better. Power? He couldn’t take Villa out with one shot – he had to break him down – but that had more to do with the victim’s chin than Ennis’ punching power. He’s a true knockout artist. Durability? Villa, a big puncher himself, landed some hard shots and Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) was never fazed. Great chin. And he’s learning not to stand in front of his opponent, meaning he should take fewer and fewer punches going forward. Intangibles? He carries himself like he’s the best fighter in the world. And he might be. I don’t see a path one could take to beat him. Again, though, we’ll see when he faces the best possible opponents in this division and beyond. I have a feeling it won’t go well for them.

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Vergil Ortiz

Ortiz seemed to be a in good place after overcoming a blood disorder and long COVID, which has limited his activity over the past few years. He told Boxing Junkie going into his scheduled fight with fellow 147-pound contender Eimantas Stanionis on Saturday in San Antonio that he was as healthy as he has been in years. Then disaster struck again. He had to pull out of the fight only two days beforehand reportedly because of dehydration and fatigue in a failed attempt to make the 147-pound weight limit. That leaves him with only one fight under his belt in two years and nothing scheduled, which once again puts the gifted boxer-puncher’s career in a holding pattern. The good news for him is that he should be able to bounce back quickly if his inability to make weight was the only issue. He almost certainly will move on from Stanionis and come back at 154 pounds, which should eliminate problems making weight and present a new group of potential opponents (Tim Tszyu, Brian Mendoza, Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora, among others). And he has one more thing going for him: time. He’s only 25 years old. Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) has all the ability in the world. Once he finally gets past this series of frustrating challenges he has a good chance of realizing his vast potential.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

One must feel for Stanionis, who had a big fight snatched out from under him after a long, hard training camp atter enduring two previous postponements. Let’s hope he gets a compelling opponent in the next month or so. Ennis called him out after his victory but he wouldn’t be ready to go again until late in the year, which might not work for Stanionis. Something has to break the 28-year-old Lithuanian’s way, doesn’t it?  … News item: Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) and Dillian Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) will meet on Aug. 12 in London. I wouldn’t like the matchup if it were a stand-alone event. Joshua has already knocked out Whyte, who has demonstrated that he can’t win big fights. However, the fight makes sense for Joshua. No. 1, it will do well businesswise in the U.K. No. 2, it gives him a second fight under new trainer Derrick James, which leads directly to No. 3: Joshua reportedly intends to meet Deontay Wilder late in the year. He’ll need all the work he can get in for that showdown which is one of the most-compelling possible matchups at any weight. This is a big year for the former heavyweight champion from England.

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Weekend Review: Jaron Ennis: Special fighter delivers special performance

Weekend Review: Jaron Ennis: A special fighter delivered a special performance on Saturday in Atlantic City.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Jaron Ennis

We won’t know with certainty how good Jaron Ennis is until he graduates to top-level opposition but no one scores higher on the eye test. “Boots” looked like a perfect fighter against a solid, durable but hopelessly overmatched opponent in Roiman Villa on Saturday night in Atlantic City, dominating the Venezuelan before scoring a brutal knockout in the 10th round. Natural gifts? No one has his combination of speed, athleticism and power. No one. Skill set? Jab, power shot(s), movement, repeat. His ability to follow that formula rendered Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) helpless. And he’s a perfectionist, meaning he’s only going to get better. Power? He couldn’t take Villa out with one shot – he had to break him down – but that had more to do with the victim’s chin than Ennis’ punching power. He’s a true knockout artist. Durability? Villa, a big puncher himself, landed some hard shots and Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) was never fazed. Great chin. And he’s learning not to stand in front of his opponent, meaning he should take fewer and fewer punches going forward. Intangibles? He carries himself like he’s the best fighter in the world. And he might be. I don’t see a path one could take to beat him. Again, though, we’ll see when he faces the best possible opponents in this division and beyond. I have a feeling it won’t go well for them.

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Vergil Ortiz

Ortiz seemed to be a in good place after overcoming a blood disorder and long COVID, which has limited his activity over the past few years. He told Boxing Junkie going into his scheduled fight with fellow 147-pound contender Eimantas Stanionis on Saturday in San Antonio that he was as healthy as he has been in years. Then disaster struck again. He had to pull out of the fight only two days beforehand reportedly because of dehydration and fatigue in a failed attempt to make the 147-pound weight limit. That leaves him with only one fight under his belt in two years and nothing scheduled, which once again puts the gifted boxer-puncher’s career in a holding pattern. The good news for him is that he should be able to bounce back quickly if his inability to make weight was the only issue. He almost certainly will move on from Stanionis and come back at 154 pounds, which should eliminate problems making weight and present a new group of potential opponents (Tim Tszyu, Brian Mendoza, Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora, among others). And he has one more thing going for him: time. He’s only 25 years old. Ortiz (19-0, 19 KOs) has all the ability in the world. Once he finally gets past this series of frustrating challenges he has a good chance of realizing his vast potential.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

One must feel for Stanionis, who had a big fight snatched out from under him after a long, hard training camp atter enduring two previous postponements. Let’s hope he gets a compelling opponent in the next month or so. Ennis called him out after his victory but he wouldn’t be ready to go again until late in the year, which might not work for Stanionis. Something has to break the 28-year-old Lithuanian’s way, doesn’t it?  … News item: Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) and Dillian Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) will meet on Aug. 12 in London. I wouldn’t like the matchup if it were a stand-alone event. Joshua has already knocked out Whyte, who has demonstrated that he can’t win big fights. However, the fight makes sense for Joshua. No. 1, it will do well businesswise in the U.K. No. 2, it gives him a second fight under new trainer Derrick James, which leads directly to No. 3: Joshua reportedly intends to meet Deontay Wilder late in the year. He’ll need all the work he can get in for that showdown which is one of the most-compelling possible matchups at any weight. This is a big year for the former heavyweight champion from England.

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Watch it: Jaron Ennis’ vicious stoppage against Roiman Villa

Watch it: Jaron Ennis’ vicious stoppage against Roiman Villa on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis capped a dominating performance by brutally knocking out Roiman Villa at 1:27 of the 10th round of a scheduled 12-rounder Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The fight was stopped by referee David Fields at 1:27 of the round.

Check it out here:

[lawrence-related id=38023]

Watch it: Jaron Ennis’ vicious stoppage against Roiman Villa

Watch it: Jaron Ennis’ vicious stoppage against Roiman Villa on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis capped a dominating performance by brutally knocking out Roiman Villa at 1:27 of the 10th round of a scheduled 12-rounder Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The fight was stopped by referee David Fields at 1:27 of the round.

Check it out here:

[lawrence-related id=38023]

Jaron Ennis caps dominating peformance with brutal knockout of Roiman Villa, calls out everyone

Jaron Ennis dominated Roiman Villa before delivering a brutal 10th-round knockout and then called out all the top 147-pounders Saturday.

You had to feel sorry for Roiman Villa.

Jaron Ennis outboxed his fellow welterweight contender, kept his jab in his face, picked him apart with blows that would stop many fighters, methodically beat him up and finally delivered a brutal knockout in the 10th round Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Villa, as durable as they come, never stopped trying but he also never stood a realistic chance. Ennis, perhaps the best fighter in the world who has yet to fight for a major title, was just too good.

“I knew I was going to start breaking him up earlier,” Ennis said. “Pop (trainer Bozy Ennis) kept saying, ‘Just wait, not yet. You’re breaking him down, keeping taking your time. You’re going to get him.’ That’s what I did.

“I went back to having fun, being sharp, and I came out with a victory.”

Ennis, alternately fighting from orthodox and southpaw stances, flicked his jab to the head of Villa 26-2, 24 KOs) almost the entire fight. That alone made it difficult for the Venezuelan slugger to get anything accomplished in the mismatch.

However, Ennis used the jab to set up some of the most lethal power punches in the business. Villa clearly has one of the better chins in boxing but even he could endure only so much punishment before he could no longer continue.

Villa had his moments, particularly when Ennis gave into his brawling instincts. They engaged in a number of entertaining exchanges from close range, and Villa landed his share of eye-catching shots.

That was the exception, however. Ennis never engaged for too long, using his feet to move back out of harm’s way and continue his assault from a safer distance.

“My performance was good but a lot of things I could’ve done better,” Ennis said. “I could’ve listened to my corner a little more. My dad wanted more body shots and more angles. I was standing in front of him a little too much, getting hit with shots I wasn’t supposed to get hit with.

“But at the end of the day, you know.”

At the end of the day, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) did what he expected to do: Score another knockout.

The pivotal shot was a straight left to the chin of Villa, which hurt him badly. Ennis followed with a right hook that put his wilting prey on the canvas just as referee David Fields was jumping between them, apparently intending to stop the fight.

Fields did so with a glassy-eyed Villas sitting on the bottom rope. The official time of the stopped was 1:27 of the 10th round.

The fact Villa lasted that long is a testament to his conditioning, determination and ability to take a punch.

“I’m not surprised,” Ennis said of his opponent’s durability. “I knew he was a tough kid. I just had to be smart, take my time, keep touching him. I knew I was going to get him.”

Now if he could only get a big fight.

Ennis’ performance underscored the notion that he’s a threat to anyone, including 147-pound kings Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., who are scheduled to face one another for the undisputed championship on July 29.

Of course, Ennis would love to fight the winner. However, with the possibility of a Crawford-Spence rematch and the general unpredictability of boxing, Ennis isn’t counting on anything.

He told Boxing Junkie a week before the fight that he can do only one thing:  be ready when the time comes. He sure looked ready on Saturday.

“I’ll take [Eimantas] Stanionis. [Vergil] Ortiz, his opponent, fell out or whatever [on Saturday],” he said. “I’ll take Stanionis in a heartbeat. I want to try to get back into the ring one more time late in the year. Let’s make it happen. Stanionis, Keith Thurman, [Yordenis] Ugas, Bud [Crawford], Spence, all the top guys out there.

“Let’s make these fights happen. Let’s get it poppin.”

Jaron Ennis caps dominating peformance with brutal knockout of Roiman Villa, calls out everyone

Jaron Ennis dominated Roiman Villa before delivering a brutal 10th-round knockout and then called out all the top 147-pounders Saturday.

You had to feel sorry for Roiman Villa.

Jaron Ennis outboxed his fellow welterweight contender, kept his jab in his face, picked him apart with blows that would stop many fighters, methodically beat him up and finally delivered a brutal knockout in the 10th round Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Villa, as durable as they come, never stopped trying but he also never stood a realistic chance. Ennis, perhaps the best fighter in the world who has yet to fight for a major title, was just too good.

“I knew I was going to start breaking him up earlier,” Ennis said. “Pop (trainer Bozy Ennis) kept saying, ‘Just wait, not yet. You’re breaking him down, keeping taking your time. You’re going to get him.’ That’s what I did.

“I went back to having fun, being sharp, and I came out with a victory.”

Ennis, alternately fighting from orthodox and southpaw stances, flicked his jab to the head of Villa 26-2, 24 KOs) almost the entire fight. That alone made it difficult for the Venezuelan slugger to get anything accomplished in the mismatch.

However, Ennis used the jab to set up some of the most lethal power punches in the business. Villa clearly has one of the better chins in boxing but even he could endure only so much punishment before he could no longer continue.

Villa had his moments, particularly when Ennis gave into his brawling instincts. They engaged in a number of entertaining exchanges from close range, and Villa landed his share of eye-catching shots.

That was the exception, however. Ennis never engaged for too long, using his feet to move back out of harm’s way and continue his assault from a safer distance.

“My performance was good but a lot of things I could’ve done better,” Ennis said. “I could’ve listened to my corner a little more. My dad wanted more body shots and more angles. I was standing in front of him a little too much, getting hit with shots I wasn’t supposed to get hit with.

“But at the end of the day, you know.”

At the end of the day, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) did what he expected to do: Score another knockout.

The pivotal shot was a straight left to the chin of Villa, which hurt him badly. Ennis followed with a right hook that put his wilting prey on the canvas just as referee David Fields was jumping between them, apparently intending to stop the fight.

Fields did so with a glassy-eyed Villas sitting on the bottom rope. The official time of the stopped was 1:27 of the 10th round.

The fact Villa lasted that long is a testament to his conditioning, determination and ability to take a punch.

“I’m not surprised,” Ennis said of his opponent’s durability. “I knew he was a tough kid. I just had to be smart, take my time, keep touching him. I knew I was going to get him.”

Now if he could only get a big fight.

Ennis’ performance underscored the notion that he’s a threat to anyone, including 147-pound kings Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., who are scheduled to face one another for the undisputed championship on July 29.

Of course, Ennis would love to fight the winner. However, with the possibility of a Crawford-Spence rematch and the general unpredictability of boxing, Ennis isn’t counting on anything.

He told Boxing Junkie a week before the fight that he can do only one thing:  be ready when the time comes. He sure looked ready on Saturday.

“I’ll take [Eimantas] Stanionis. [Vergil] Ortiz, his opponent, fell out or whatever [on Saturday],” he said. “I’ll take Stanionis in a heartbeat. I want to try to get back into the ring one more time late in the year. Let’s make it happen. Stanionis, Keith Thurman, [Yordenis] Ugas, Bud [Crawford], Spence, all the top guys out there.

“Let’s make these fights happen. Let’s get it poppin.”

Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) knocked out Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) at 1:27 of the 10th round of a scheduled 12-rounder.

Ennis, one of the most gifted fighters in the world, dominated Villa from the outset. He fought behind a long jab and picked Villa apart with hard, accurate punches from distance most of the fight.

In the process, he gradually broke down a durable fighter before finally ending the fight inside the distance.

The beginning of the end was a straight left to the chin from Ennis that hurt Villa. He followed with a right, which caused Villa to fall to the canvas just as referee David Fields was jumping between them.

Fields evidently had made up his mind to stop the fight. He did so with a badly beaten, worn down Villa sitting on the canvas.

You can read a full report here.

***

Marquis Taylor (15-1-2, 1 KOs) dropped and outworked Yoelvis Gomez (6-1, 5 KOs) to win an upset unanimous decision in a 10-round 160-pound fight.

The official scores were 99-90, 96-93 and 96-93.

Taylor, a slick, awkward fighter from Houston, was busier than Gomez from the outset and was difficult for the Cuban prospect to hit cleanly, which allowed him to frustrate Gomez much of the fight.

The biggest punch of the fight came in Round 2, when a right from Taylor put Gomez down for the first time in his career.

Gomez rallied late in the fight, picking up his pace and landing many of his best shots in last few rounds. However, he couldn’t dig himself out of the deep hole he was in.

***

Lightweight contender Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) outclassed Joseph Adorno (17-3-2, 14 KOs), winning a near-shutout decision in a 10-round bout.

The official scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91, meaning the 23-year-old Dominican lost only one round on one card.

De Los Santos has now won three in a row since losing a split decision to William Foster III in January of last year.

***

Jaron Ennis is scheduled to face fellow welterweight contender Roiman Villa tonight (Saturday) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Showtime).

The featured bouts on the card begin at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.

Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – a fight story, analysis and more – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=38006,38003,35030,37991,35027]

Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) knocked out Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) at 1:27 of the 10th round of a scheduled 12-rounder.

Ennis, one of the most gifted fighters in the world, dominated Villa from the outset. He fought behind a long jab and picked Villa apart with hard, accurate punches from distance most of the fight.

In the process, he gradually broke down a durable fighter before finally ending the fight inside the distance.

The beginning of the end was a straight left to the chin from Ennis that hurt Villa. He followed with a right, which caused Villa to fall to the canvas just as referee David Fields was jumping between them.

Fields evidently had made up his mind to stop the fight. He did so with a badly beaten, worn down Villa sitting on the canvas.

You can read a full report here.

***

Marquis Taylor (15-1-2, 1 KOs) dropped and outworked Yoelvis Gomez (6-1, 5 KOs) to win an upset unanimous decision in a 10-round 160-pound fight.

The official scores were 99-90, 96-93 and 96-93.

Taylor, a slick, awkward fighter from Houston, was busier than Gomez from the outset and was difficult for the Cuban prospect to hit cleanly, which allowed him to frustrate Gomez much of the fight.

The biggest punch of the fight came in Round 2, when a right from Taylor put Gomez down for the first time in his career.

Gomez rallied late in the fight, picking up his pace and landing many of his best shots in last few rounds. However, he couldn’t dig himself out of the deep hole he was in.

***

Lightweight contender Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) outclassed Joseph Adorno (17-3-2, 14 KOs), winning a near-shutout decision in a 10-round bout.

The official scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91, meaning the 23-year-old Dominican lost only one round on one card.

De Los Santos has now won three in a row since losing a split decision to William Foster III in January of last year.

***

Jaron Ennis is scheduled to face fellow welterweight contender Roiman Villa tonight (Saturday) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Showtime).

The featured bouts on the card begin at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.

Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – a fight story, analysis and more – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=38006,38003,35030,37991,35027]

Jaron Ennis plans to start new knockout streak against Roiman Villa

Jaron Ennis plans to start a new knockout streak against Roiman Villa on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Jaron Ennis is doing what many of the top contenders are doing: He’s waiting.

The 147-pound knockout artist is beating every second-tier opponent placed in front of him and waiting for his big opportunity, a showdown with one of the titleholders (the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. winner?) or another top welterweight.

If playing that game bothers him, he doesn’t show it.

“It’s not really difficult,” he told Boxing Junkie. “… I have to patient, stay focused, get better every single day. When the time comes, I’ll be more than ready.”

Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) is scheduled to face one of those second-tier opponents, Roiman Villa, on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Showtime). And, of course, he must win to even think about taking part in a major event.

That might not be easy. Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) is a solid boxer with elite punching power, although he earned the meeting with Ennis by outpointing his toughest opponents in his last two fights, previously unbeaten contenders Janelson Bocachica and Rashidi Ellis.

Ennis compared Villa to a previous opponent of his, Sergey Lipinets, a clever, rugged boxer. Ennis stopped Lipinets in six rounds.

One more thing about Villa: Ennis won’t have to chase him down when the opening bell rings, as he did against the capable, but reluctant Karen Chukhadzhian. The Ukrainian survived but lost every round, which snapped Ennis’ knockout streak at 19 (not counting a no-contest).

Ennis would like to start a new streak on Saturday.

“He’ll be right there in front of me,” Ennis said of Villa. “He’s not going to be moving, he’s not going to run. That’s perfect for me. He’s like Lipinets a little bit, although I feel Lipinets is a lot craftier. …

“[A knockout) is the goal. I want to look good, be sharp, beat him up, get that stoppage.”

Then the 26-year-old would go back to waiting.

Of course, a meeting with the winner of the July 29 Crawford-Spence fight for the undisputed championship would be boxing’s equivalent of winning the lottery but there’s no telling what might follow that bout.

A lucrative rematch would make sense if the original is competitive, as it’s expected to be. Or the winner could move up to 154 pounds, which would create vacancies and all kinds of possibilities.

Ennis can only watch with the rest of us to see how it all plays out, assuming things go well for him in Atlantic City.

“I don’t know when I’ll get that shot,” he said. “Hopefully when they do fight each other, Crawford and Spence, hopefully there’ll be no rematch clause. [But] I probably won’t get a title shot until next year.

“May main focus is Villa right now. I’m locked in on him.”

[lawrence-related id=38003,35030]

Jaron Ennis plans to start new knockout streak against Roiman Villa

Jaron Ennis plans to start a new knockout streak against Roiman Villa on Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Jaron Ennis is doing what many of the top contenders are doing: He’s waiting.

The 147-pound knockout artist is beating every second-tier opponent placed in front of him and waiting for his big opportunity, a showdown with one of the titleholders (the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. winner?) or another top welterweight.

If playing that game bothers him, he doesn’t show it.

“It’s not really difficult,” he told Boxing Junkie. “… I have to patient, stay focused, get better every single day. When the time comes, I’ll be more than ready.”

Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) is scheduled to face one of those second-tier opponents, Roiman Villa, on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Showtime). And, of course, he must win to even think about taking part in a major event.

That might not be easy. Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) is a solid boxer with elite punching power, although he earned the meeting with Ennis by outpointing his toughest opponents in his last two fights, previously unbeaten contenders Janelson Bocachica and Rashidi Ellis.

Ennis compared Villa to a previous opponent of his, Sergey Lipinets, a clever, rugged boxer. Ennis stopped Lipinets in six rounds.

One more thing about Villa: Ennis won’t have to chase him down when the opening bell rings, as he did against the capable, but reluctant Karen Chukhadzhian. The Ukrainian survived but lost every round, which snapped Ennis’ knockout streak at 19 (not counting a no-contest).

Ennis would like to start a new streak on Saturday.

“He’ll be right there in front of me,” Ennis said of Villa. “He’s not going to be moving, he’s not going to run. That’s perfect for me. He’s like Lipinets a little bit, although I feel Lipinets is a lot craftier. …

“[A knockout) is the goal. I want to look good, be sharp, beat him up, get that stoppage.”

Then the 26-year-old would go back to waiting.

Of course, a meeting with the winner of the July 29 Crawford-Spence fight for the undisputed championship would be boxing’s equivalent of winning the lottery but there’s no telling what might follow that bout.

A lucrative rematch would make sense if the original is competitive, as it’s expected to be. Or the winner could move up to 154 pounds, which would create vacancies and all kinds of possibilities.

Ennis can only watch with the rest of us to see how it all plays out, assuming things go well for him in Atlantic City.

“I don’t know when I’ll get that shot,” he said. “Hopefully when they do fight each other, Crawford and Spence, hopefully there’ll be no rematch clause. [But] I probably won’t get a title shot until next year.

“May main focus is Villa right now. I’m locked in on him.”

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