Mike CoppingerESPNJ9. Jul 2023 01:10 ET2 minutes read
Rising star Jaron “Boots” Ennis went undefeated with a 10th-round KO by Roiman Villa on Saturday in a welterweight bout in Atlantic City, NJ.
Ennis (31-0, 18 KOs) stunned with his ultra-fast hands and quick movements before bringing Villa to the canvas with two powerful right hands followed by a left smack.
Referee David Fields waved off the PBC on Showtime headliner almost halfway through the tenth round without a count to end the one-sided brawl.
“I’m doing better,” said Ennis, ESPN’s No. 4 boxer at 147 pounds. “…We have to wait for Errol Spence and Bud [Terence Crawford] to fight, and you know I want the victor out of it.”
A matchup with the winner of the undisputed fight for the welterweight championship on July 29th would produce the awesome opponent Ennis was looking for. Boots also expressed an interest in meeting Eimantas Stanionis, who was scheduled to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. in a top-five welterweight bout (in ESPN rankings) on Saturday.
But in the meantime, Ennis handled Villa with ease, handing out penalties from the opening bell. Ennis, 26, was extended past the seventh round for only the second time, giving him plenty of time to display his impressive arsenal.
The Philadelphian mixed in lightning-fast right hooks with his southpaw jab and at times made Villa look silly by dodging his long shots. By the end of the second lap, Villa’s nose was bleeding but he never stopped going forward.
The 30-year-old Venezuelan was overwhelmed, but proved to be strong in the game. Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) entered the ring after a career-best win, a majority decision over Rashidi Ellis in January when he scored two knockdowns.
Villa, ESPN’s No. 10 welterweight division, had never faced the canvas in his pro career, but Ennis’ flush streak eventually took its toll.
Ennis knocked Villa down with a series of right hands on round 6, putting his opponent in serious trouble in the last 30 seconds of the frame, but Villa was able to stay on his feet during the attack.
Ennis appeared to hurt Villa again in round 7 with a left uppercut, a punch he kept damaging with. In nine and a half rounds, Ennis hit 227 shots while Villa landed just 65.