By: Sean Crose
If you watched Showtime’s news of the brilliant Jermell Taylor-Brian Castano rematch on Saturday night, you might have caught Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ destroying two innings against the previously unbeaten Custio Clayton. If you happened to witness that brief battle, chances are you were impressed with Ennis’ performance. Very impressive. For this is a man with a sharp thrust, quick and powerful. It was one of the best stabs in the business and the man was only 24 years old. Ennis has yet to win a world title, nor face the very best in the heaviest category. Still, there’s good reason to see big things in the Philadelphia boxer’s future.
Of course, it’s easy to hop on a hype train. The job of the promoters, and many in the media, is to build certain warriors. After all, a lot of money is made out of greatness. However, Ennis at least appeared willing to try to prove himself among the top dogs of the division. That means facing the likes of Ortiz, Thurman, Crawford, Garcia and Spence. Can he be the best at any or all of these fighters? That has yet to be determined. However, it was time for both Ennis and the fighting world to find out.
WBC currently has Ennis ranked fourth in the welding weight class. The WBA and WBO have Ennis in second, while IBF have him in third. He may not be sitting on top of the division and it’s not fair at this point to say Ennis is being shunned because he’s relatively new to the conversation, but there’s little doubt that, like Virgil Ortiz, Ennis was ready for his moment in the limelight. What he does is anyone’s guess, but if Saturday night’s performance is any indication, Ennis is a tough match – an extremely tough one – for any weight class. which is current.
Because the man had not only that stab, but also the strength. His performance against Clayton showcased the fact that Ennis can throw a lot after that stab, especially when it comes to his opponent’s torso. Ennis’ bodywork last weekend was almost intimidating seeing as each shot seemed to be thrown purposefully and to maximum effect. And, for complete power, that really needs no explanation. Ennis’ current 29-0 record says a lot when you consider the fact that all but two of his games ended in a knockout. Perhaps the only question that really remains is who will be next. But that’s what one could say on a train of hype.
