Jaron Ennis blasts out overmatched Sergey Lipinets in Round 6

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis knocked out overmatched Sergey Lipinets in Round 6 on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.

Jaron Ennis turned a good, durable fighter into his personal pinata on Saturday.

The welterweight contender battered Sergey Lipinets for most of five-plus rounds before a right-left combination put the former 140-pound titleholder down and out in Round 6 in Uncasville, Conn.

If that was a test – which is how it was described beforehand – what’s better than an A+?

Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) has now stopped 17 consecutive opponents, not counting a no-contest in his previous fight.

“Most definitely I feel like I graduated. Like I said before, it’s on [to] bigger and better fights now,” Ennis said in the ring afterward.

“Boots” opened the fight by showing off his boxing prowess, jabbing, following with power shots and moving out of range before the shorter, slower Lipinets could get near him.

But it didn’t take long for Ennis to test the waters inside, as he typically does. That allowed tLipinets to land punches here and there but it was the bigger, longer man who landed the meaningful blows.

Ennis started connecting on mind-numbing shots in Round 3 and didn’t let up for any length of time. Lipinets suffered a knockdown in Round 4, although it appeared to be the result of a trip and not one of Ennis’ big shots.

The real knockdown would come in the fifth. With about 50 seconds left in the round, Ennis hurt Lipinets with a right hook and followed with a straight left between the guard that knocked Lipinets onto his back.

Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. didn’t bother to count. It was clear to him and everyone watching that the Kazakhstani – his face bruised and swollen — had taken enough punishment from a huge puncher. The official end came at 2:11 of Round 6.

Ennis landed 53% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. And all of them, it seemed, did damage.

“That’s just what we work on in the gym,” he said, “a lot of power shots, a lot of speed, having fun doing my thing. And that’s what I did.”

He went on: “I knew I hurt him but I knew he was going to be durable and stuff like that. So I was like, ‘Take my time, coast it out, keep touching, keep touching, and I knew eventually I’d break him down.”

So what are the bigger and better fights?

Ennis wants to face one of the top fighters in a deep division. And no one is excluded, not Errol Spence Jr., not Terence Crawford, not Manny Pacquiao, no one. The question is: Will any of the above want to fight him?

He was asked whether it might be difficult to get a title fight after the latest in a series of dominating performances.

“No … well, maybe,” he said with a laugh. “Maybe, maybe. Who knows? One of them might want to fight me. We’ll see. I definitely think I’m ready for a Top 5, Top 3 guy. …

“I think [Yordenis Ugas] is going to fight Spence, something like that is coming up. Hopefully, I can get the winner of that. That would be a great fight for me.”

But would it be a great fight for Spence or Ugas?

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Jaron Ennis blasts out overmatched Sergey Lipinets in Round 6

Welterweight contender Jaron Ennis knocked out overmatched Sergey Lipinets in Round 6 on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.

Jaron Ennis turned a good, durable fighter into his personal pinata on Saturday.

The welterweight contender battered Sergey Lipinets for most of five-plus rounds before a right-left combination put the former 140-pound titleholder down and out in Round 6 in Uncasville, Conn.

If that was a test – which is how it was described beforehand – what’s better than an A+?

Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) has now stopped 17 consecutive opponents, not counting a no-contest in his previous fight.

“Most definitely I feel like I graduated. Like I said before, it’s on [to] bigger and better fights now,” Ennis said in the ring afterward.

“Boots” opened the fight by showing off his boxing prowess, jabbing, following with power shots and moving out of range before the shorter, slower Lipinets could get near him.

But it didn’t take long for Ennis to test the waters inside, as he typically does. That allowed tLipinets to land punches here and there but it was the bigger, longer man who landed the meaningful blows.

Ennis started connecting on mind-numbing shots in Round 3 and didn’t let up for any length of time. Lipinets suffered a knockdown in Round 4, although it appeared to be the result of a trip and not one of Ennis’ big shots.

The real knockdown would come in the fifth. With about 50 seconds left in the round, Ennis hurt Lipinets with a right hook and followed with a straight left between the guard that knocked Lipinets onto his back.

Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. didn’t bother to count. It was clear to him and everyone watching that the Kazakhstani – his face bruised and swollen — had taken enough punishment from a huge puncher. The official end came at 2:11 of Round 6.

Ennis landed 53% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. And all of them, it seemed, did damage.

“That’s just what we work on in the gym,” he said, “a lot of power shots, a lot of speed, having fun doing my thing. And that’s what I did.”

He went on: “I knew I hurt him but I knew he was going to be durable and stuff like that. So I was like, ‘Take my time, coast it out, keep touching, keep touching, and I knew eventually I’d break him down.”

So what are the bigger and better fights?

Ennis wants to face one of the top fighters in a deep division. And no one is excluded, not Errol Spence Jr., not Terence Crawford, not Manny Pacquiao, no one. The question is: Will any of the above want to fight him?

He was asked whether it might be difficult to get a title fight after the latest in a series of dominating performances.

“No … well, maybe,” he said with a laugh. “Maybe, maybe. Who knows? One of them might want to fight me. We’ll see. I definitely think I’m ready for a Top 5, Top 3 guy. …

“I think [Yordenis Ugas] is going to fight Spence, something like that is coming up. Hopefully, I can get the winner of that. That would be a great fight for me.”

But would it be a great fight for Spence or Ugas?

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Eimantas Stanionis walks down Thomas Dulorme, wins clear decision

Eimantas Stanionis rallied in the second half of the fight to defeat Thomas Dulorme on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card on Saturday.

Eimantas Stanionis relied on perseverance as anything else to remain unbeaten on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card Saturday.

The Lithuanian got off to a slow start against an inspired Thomas Dulorme but kept the pressure on the Puerto Rican to win a unanimous decision in the welterweight title eliminator in Uncasville, Conn.

The scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-113 for Stanionis.

Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) was at his best in the fight, courtesy of new trainer Ismael Salas, whose strategy was to have his protege stick and move. And he did it beautifully much of the fight, forcing Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) to chase him down.

The problem for Dulorme is that he began to tire by mid-fight, at which time Stanionis was picking up steam. Stanionis began to cut off the ring and land punishing shots, which forced Dulorme to hold at times.

Dulorme stayed with the game plan until the final bell; he simply couldn’t do it as effectively down the stretch. That allowed Stanionis to pull away on the scorecards.

Stanionis said afterward that he believes he belongs in the Top 10 in a deep division but acknowledged that he still has a lot to learn after only 13 professional fights.

Dulorme might argue that Stanionis has learned quite a bit already.

Eimantas Stanionis walks down Thomas Dulorme, wins clear decision

Eimantas Stanionis rallied in the second half of the fight to defeat Thomas Dulorme on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card on Saturday.

Eimantas Stanionis relied on perseverance as anything else to remain unbeaten on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card Saturday.

The Lithuanian got off to a slow start against an inspired Thomas Dulorme but kept the pressure on the Puerto Rican to win a unanimous decision in the welterweight title eliminator in Uncasville, Conn.

The scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-113 for Stanionis.

Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) was at his best in the fight, courtesy of new trainer Ismael Salas, whose strategy was to have his protege stick and move. And he did it beautifully much of the fight, forcing Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) to chase him down.

The problem for Dulorme is that he began to tire by mid-fight, at which time Stanionis was picking up steam. Stanionis began to cut off the ring and land punishing shots, which forced Dulorme to hold at times.

Dulorme stayed with the game plan until the final bell; he simply couldn’t do it as effectively down the stretch. That allowed Stanionis to pull away on the scorecards.

Stanionis said afterward that he believes he belongs in the Top 10 in a deep division but acknowledged that he still has a lot to learn after only 13 professional fights.

Dulorme might argue that Stanionis has learned quite a bit already.

Jerwin Ancajas outpoints Jonathan Rodriguez in war

Jerwin Ancajas outpoints Jonathan Rodriguez in war on Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card Saturday.

Jerwin Ancajas held onto his junior bantamweight title but had to work harder than at any time in his career.

Ancajas, making his ninth defense, landed more big punches than Jonathan Rodriguez and put the challenger down to win a unanimous decision on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.

However, Rodriguez, a relative unknown, made the case in defeat that he’s an elite 115-pounder but pushing Ancajas to the limit.

Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) got the better Rodriguez (22-2, 16 KOs) when he fought behind his jab and used his superior boxing skills, which he did at times.

However, the Filipino chose to stand toe-to-toe — or was forced to do so — much of fight, which made for an exciting battle and allowed Rodriguez to get in his licks.

The fight was essentially a back-and-forth war, with both boxers landing hard shots to both the head body. Many of the rounds were close for that reason.

Nothing had changed much by the middle of Round 8. Then a flurry of punishing blows from Ancajas forced Rodriguez to take a knee, which made it a 10-8 round.

The referee and Rodriguez’s cornermen asked him after the round whether he wanted to continue. He answered by getting the better of the champion from Round 9 to 12.

In the end, the knockdown didn’t matter. Ancajas, who hasn’t lost since 2012, won by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four.

Ancajas said he hoped the fight would lead to showdowns with the biggest stars in the division, Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

The victory puts him in a position to get those opportunties.

Jerwin Ancajas outpoints Jonathan Rodriguez in war

Jerwin Ancajas outpoints Jonathan Rodriguez in war on Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets card Saturday.

Jerwin Ancajas held onto his junior bantamweight title but had to work harder than at any time in his career.

Ancajas, making his ninth defense, landed more big punches than Jonathan Rodriguez and put the challenger down to win a unanimous decision on the Jaron Ennis-Sergey Lipinets on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.

However, Rodriguez, a relative unknown, made the case in defeat that he’s an elite 115-pounder but pushing Ancajas to the limit.

Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) got the better Rodriguez (22-2, 16 KOs) when he fought behind his jab and used his superior boxing skills, which he did at times.

However, the Filipino chose to stand toe-to-toe — or was forced to do so — much of fight, which made for an exciting battle and allowed Rodriguez to get in his licks.

The fight was essentially a back-and-forth war, with both boxers landing hard shots to both the head body. Many of the rounds were close for that reason.

Nothing had changed much by the middle of Round 8. Then a flurry of punishing blows from Ancajas forced Rodriguez to take a knee, which made it a 10-8 round.

The referee and Rodriguez’s cornermen asked him after the round whether he wanted to continue. He answered by getting the better of the champion from Round 9 to 12.

In the end, the knockdown didn’t matter. Ancajas, who hasn’t lost since 2012, won by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four.

Ancajas said he hoped the fight would lead to showdowns with the biggest stars in the division, Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

The victory puts him in a position to get those opportunties.

Good, bad, worse: Jamal James’ impressive performance

Jamal James turned in a splendid performance against Thomas Dulorme on Saturday in Los Angeles.

GOOD

Sometimes a fighter puts it all together. He or she devises a clever game plan and executes it perfectly, allowing him or her to dominate a good opponent and take a significant step up the food chain.

That’s what Jamal James did against Thomas Dulorme on Saturday in Los Angeles.

I’ll stop short of saying that James was brilliant because I’m not sure a victory over Dulorme could demonstrate that but the Minnesotan fought about as well as he possibly could in his unanimous-decision victory.

James (27-1, 12 KOs) did everything well. He kept Dulorme at a safe distance with his long left jab and hard, accurate rights. And when the aggressive Dulorme managed to get closer than an arm’s length, he was met by the same stinging power shots.

Outside, inside, it was all James. Dulorme landed only 15 percent of his punches, according to CompuBox. That means James was as good defensively as he was on offense.

By mid-fight, it was obvious that the frustrated Puerto Rican had no idea how to solve the puzzle that James presented. He never did.

Judge Alejandro Rochin must’ve been watching a different fight but at least he had right man winning. He scored 115-113. The other judges had it 116-112 and 117-111, for James. I had it 118-110, 10 rounds to 2.

Can James hang with the top 147-pounders?

The only criticism I can come up with centers on James’ power, or lack thereof. His knockout percentage suggests he’s a so-so puncher at best and he never hurt Dulmore, at least not significantly. That could work against him if he faces an opponent more dynamic than Dulorme.

That said, James’ obvious ability, his focus and his determination make him a threat to anyone at welterweight. That includes Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford and on the down the imposing list. Of course, we’ll see.

 

BAD

James (left) hit Dulorme anywhere it took to blunt his attack. Sean Michael Ham / TGB Promotions

James earned the WBA “interim” title with his victory over Dulorme, which in theory puts him in position to face the sanctioning body’s champion, Manny Pacquiao.

Sadly for him, it’s not likely to happen.

Pacquiao at this stage of game wants big-name opponents who will drive up pay-per-view numbers, well-known fighters like Keith Thurman and Mikey Garcia, who could be the Filipino icon’s next foe.

James made a strong statement with his victory over Dulorme but he doesn’t have name recognition that would move the needle like several other 147-pounders.

The good news for James is that the division is ridiculously deep, meaning it’s a good bet he’ll take part in a lucrative, high-profile fight sometime in the near future.

Unbeaten young star Vergil Ortiz Jr. is the WBA’s “gold” titleholder, whatever that is. James would be a legitimate opponent for him, although the fact they fight for rival outlets probably precludes that fight from happening.

Other possibilities: Garcia, Thurman, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, Yordenis Ugas and even Amir Khan.

Bring it on. James, 32 and at the peak of his abilities, is ready.

“Obviously, I would like to get a shot at Manny Pacquiao, he’s got the WBA super title,” James said immediately after the fight Saturday. “But I know he’s such a big name, so it really doesn’t matter. I want any of the big name welterweights, we can really put on a good show.”

 

WORSE

Is anyone else getting tired of all the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. “news?” Douglas DeFelice / USA TODAY Sports

News item: The Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition has been pushed back to Nov. 28.

That means that we’ll have another two months of chatter about a meaningless event, aside from the money it is supposed to generate for charity. It’s a sparring session, a workout, nothing more.

We know the names Tyson and Jones because of what they accomplished in the past, the distant past. Those fighters, the ones who dazzled us in different ways when they were in the primes, are gone.

Today, Tyson is 54, Jones 51. They’re reasonably fit and retain some of the muscle memory of their youth but they can’t fight at a high level. Anyone expecting that on Nov. 28 is going to be disappointed.

The “fight” was postponed in part because Tyson and Co. wanted more time to maximize profits. And I presume it will do well in terms of pay-per-view numbers. The curiosity factor is significant.

I wonder whether those who plunk down the $49.99 to see it will have buyer’s remove by the middle of the first round, when it will be obvious that these are geezers, not athletes.

And, of course, it will be worse if the unthinkable happens. If one or both of them gets caught up in the moment and tries to hurt the other, an ostensibly playful event could turn into a disaster.

I have nothing against charitable events. Tyson’s heart seems to be in the right place. I’m just looking forward to it being over with.

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Lucas Santamaria upsets Mykal Fox on James-Dulorme card

Lucas Santamaria put Mykal Fox down in the first round and maintained the pressure to win a unanimous decision Saturday.

Lucas Santamaria turned in the upset on the Jamal James-Thomas Dulorme card Saturday at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Santamaria put the more-experienced Mykal Fox down in the first round and maintained the pressure to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round welterweight fight on the FS1 telecast. The scores were 99-90, 97-92 and 96-93.

Santamaria (11-1, 7 KOs) had not faced an opponent of Fox’s caliber before Saturday.

Fox (22-2, 5 KOs) had won three in a row since losing a decision to unbeaten Uzbek Shohjahon Ergashev in May of last year.

In other fights on the card, Michael Polite Coffie (10-0, 7 KOs) put Luis Eduardo Pena (6-1, 6 KOs) down and stopped him at 1:35 of the fifth round of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

And 18-year-old Vito Mielnicki (6-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Chris Rollins (3-2) at 2:19 of the second round of a scheduled six-round welterweight fight.

Jamal James outclasses Thomas Dulorme, makes strong statement

Jamal James defeated determined, but overmatched Thomas Dulorme by a unanimous decision Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

One welterweight joined the elite in his weight class, the other will have to rebuild.

Jamal James fought as if he belonged in the ring with any of the top 147-pounders, easily outpointing determined, but overmatched Thomas Dulorme on Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The scores were 115-113 (huh?), 116-112 and 117-111. Boxing Junkie had it 118-110 for James, who won the WBA “interim” title.

The Minneapolis fighter was supposed to have fought Dulorme in front of his hometown fans in Minnesota in April but the fight was shelved because of the coronavirus pandemic. Turns out James (27-1, 12 KOs) didn’t need help from his fans.

The 6-foot-2 technician outperformed his 5-10 foe in every way. He used his long jab and follow up rights when he was able to fight from distance. Or he simply waited for Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KOs) to charge forward and caught him coming in.

Either way, Dulorme took a lot of hard shots. The Puerto Rican was able to land on occasion – particularly to the body in the first half of the fight – but he couldn’t find his target with consistency.

Dulorme threw a lot of punches (771, according to CompuBox) but landed at a low percentage (115, 15%). James was 204 of 772 (26%).

After the seventh round, with Dulorme looking overwhelmed as he sat on his stool, trainer Joel Diaz raised his voice in an attempt to light a fire under his fighter, to get him battle even harder as the chances of winning seemed to be slipping away.

It didn’t work. Dulorme continued to work hard. He simply couldn’t solve the puzzle presented by a far superior boxer, at least on this night.

The 115-113 score (seven rounds to five) of judge Alejandro Rochin simply didn’t reflect what happened in the ring. He apparently rewarded Dulorme for his aggression even though it wasn’t consistently effective.

One could argue that even the 116-112 was too close. James outclassed Dulorme to win his seventh consecutive fight since he was outpointed by Yordenis Ugas in 2017.

Can James compete with the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia and the rest?

Well, James already faced one top 147-pounder in 2017, Ugas, who won a unanimous decision. However, James took the fight on a few days’ notice. He said afterward that he lacked the focus to beat a fighter of that caliber.

On Saturday, he obviously was locked in mentally. That fighter, the one who dominated Dulorme, would appear to be a threat to anyone.

Dulorme?

He was only 1-1-1 in his last three fights but looked sharp, losing a close decision to Ugas, drawing with Jessie Vargas and outpointing previously unbeaten Terrel Williams. Whatever momentum he had is now lost.

He probably was competitive enough on Saturday to earn another meaningful welterweight fight but James, a stone’s throw from a world title shot, put a lot distance between them.

In a preliminary bout, junior welterweight prospect Omar Juarez (8-0, 4 KOs) of Brownsville, Texas, defeated Willie Shaw (12-2, 8 KOs) of Vallejo, Calif., by a unanimous decision in a six-round bout. The scores were 58-56, 59-55 and 60-54.

David Morrell outclasses Lennox Allen to win wide decision

David Morrell outclassed Lennox Allen to win a one-sided unanimous decision on the Jamal James-Thomas Dulomore card on Saturday.

A legitimate super middleweight contender arrived Saturday night.

David Morrell, the former Cuban amateur star with only two pro fights under his belt, outclassed Lennox Allen to win a one-sided unanimous decision on the Jamal James-Thomas Dulomore card at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The scores were 118-110, 119-109 and 120-108, all in favor of the 22-year-old from Santa Clara, Cuba. Boxing Junkie had it 118-110.

Morrell, reportedly 135-2 as an amateur, looked like a seasoned pro as he outboxed, outworked and ultimately overwhelmed the more experienced Allen.

Allen (22-1-1, 14 KOs) wasn’t an easy target, particularly early in the fight. However, more than enough of Morrell’s shots got through Allen’s defense to score points and win rounds. And in the later rounds Morrell (3-0, 2 KOs) landed almost at will.

Meanwhile, Allen just wasn’t active enough to give himself a chance to win the fight. The best you can say about him is that he was never hurt, which also might raise questions about Morrell’s punching power.

Overall, Morrell turned in a superb performance against a solid pro to win an interim title. And the fact he did it in only his third pro fight was particularly impressive.

Was a star born? It’s too early to tell. But Morrell certainly got off to a sizzling hot start.