![]() ![]() Beating someone with the size and skills of Ennis is difficult enough. Despite his age, Ennis stands right beside those two names. Currently, Bud Crawford and Tyson Fury are the prime examples of being able to effortlessly alter between stances. It is a tough skill to utilise effectively, let alone make look easy. In the latest episode of the Punch Perfect Podcast, I used the words: “Switch-hitting is a fine art in boxing”. Boots relies on his cat-like reflexes to avoid his opponent’s shots and his blistering speed to make them pay. But having 75-80% of the athleticism that RJJ boasted would place any fighter in good stead. However… Ennis possesses some of those traits. His reflexes, his speed, his explosiveness was almost inhuman. To compare someone to Roy Jones Jr athletically is almost blasphemous. I predict that Boots will retire having picked up legitimate world titles at welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, eventually. It means we can expect him to climb through the weights gradually over the coming years. His natural size opens a variety of doors for his progression. Whilst his body may not have fully developed like Errol Spence, Terence Crawford or Yordenis Ugas, he would enter as the naturally bigger man against all three of the current welterweight champions. ![]() Standing at 5ft 11inches, with a 188cm wingspan, Ennis is huge for the 147lb limit. He employs his strength at close quarters to bully and manipulate his opponent’s positioning, creating openings for him to facilitate his own attacks. Those experiences has toughened him up and enhanced his own physicality, which is one of the reasons he looks so comfortable on the inside. Turning professional young meant Ennis became accustomed to facing physically stronger men almost immediately. Admittedly, the opposition was overmatched but it has enabled him to gain valuable experience by dealing with a variety of opponents and styles. Now switching focus to his paid career at just twenty-three, Boots has 26 professional bouts to his name, which is pretty damn impressive. ![]() Facing the likes of Richardson Hitchins and Gary Antuanne Russell during his teens, as well as sparring other members from Team USA, will no doubt have moulded him into the fighter we see today. In the amateur ranks, he shared the ring with some of the most talented young fighters in the States. To support my case, I have picked out six key attributes that not only make him special but will also see him flourish into one of the elite pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. at the moment, that is quite a statement. When you consider the talent coming out of the U.S. I put my neck on the line in the opening stanza by stating that Ennis is the best fighter under 25 in the world. This Saturday, Ennis will headline his first Showtime bill against former 140-pound titleholder and welterweight championship campaigner, Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1).Įnough about his journey. However, an unfortunate, accidental clash of heads saw the fight ruled a no-contest after just one round. A couple of months later, he was pitted against the former contender, Chris van Heerden. ![]() In 2020, he graduated to the Showtime main broadcast, destroying Juan Carlos Abreu inside six rounds with one of the most perfect counter uppercuts I have ever witnessed. After eventually being picked up by Showtime Sports, he built his brand by brutalising everyone on the ShoBox circuit. The Philadelphian boxed on small-hall shows and often fell towards the bottom of the show running order. Despite his immense talent and amateur pedigree, Ennis was not thrust under the limelight or given primetime television slots. Instead, he made the bold choice to turn professional in April the following year. However, at the Olympic Trial Box-Off, he suffered defeat in the deciding contest at the hands of his amateur rival, Gary Antuanne Russell.Īlthough his Olympic dream had been crushed, he was only eighteen so, theoretically, could have stuck around for a second Olympic cycle. That same year, he won the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves and looked to punch his ticket for the plane to Rio 2016. But two names, in particular, stood out amongst the crowd: Jaron Ennis and Shakur Stevenson. The list includes Devin Haney, Edgar Berlanga, Marc Castro, Brandun Lee, and Jared Anderson. From my era (I am a late-90s baby), just two names fall into that category.Īt the 2015 US Junior Open & Youth National Championships, I witnessed a crop of young American boxers emerge. It should refer to someone whose talent level is only seen once in a generation. The term “generational talent” gets thrown around willy-nilly nowadays. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Shakur Stevenson are the two most talented young fighters on the planet, and on Saturday night, you are going to see one of them emerge into a superstar. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |