By: Hans Themistode
Slowly but surely, Jaron Ennis is moving up the weight charts. Currently, the Philadelphia-born player occupies the top three spots in each of the four sanctioning bodies. So with the young star bursting onto the cusp of fighting for his first world title, he has his pick of the world champion he wants to chase.
But while Ennis doesn’t have exact preferences, he does have an idea of the current belt holder he plans to pursue.
“For me, it doesn’t matter,” Ennis said in an interview with YSM Sports Media. “But I’m the tallest in the IBF, so that’s the way we’re going.”
Currently, Ennis ranks second in the WBO and three in the WBA, WBC and IBF. However, following the recent retirement of Shawn Porter, who holds the number two spot in the IBF sanctioning body, there is now a gap in the ranking just above Ennis. Plus, Kudratillo Abdukakhorov, who used to be number one in the IBF, recently suffered defeat at the hands of Cody Crowley over the weekend at Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, California.
With Uzbekistan about to drop out of the rankings, Ennis revealed that he was originally hoping to take on him in the ring. However, with a few more hurdles to deal with, Ennis believes world title glory is closer than ever.
Ennis continued: “We are really trying to get the number one guy. “He lost so I guess they’ll make me number one or I have to fight for number one, something like that. It’s not important. Everything is falling into place. We are almost there. ”
Currently, Errol Spence Jr holds both the IBF and WBC championship belts. The hardcore Nampaw has owned territory on almost every reliable pound for the pound listing but as of late, inactivity has hampered his career. The Dallas-born player last exchanged rings in December 2020, winning a unanimous decision against former doubles title winner Danny Garcia. Since then, Spence Jr has remained sidelined while recovering from eye surgery to correct a torn/separated retina.
Despite his occasional trips to the ring, Spence Jr is still considered one of the best boxers in the world, a sentiment Ennis wholeheartedly agrees with. That said, when Ennis paired his kit with a possible future opponent’s, he didn’t see Spence Jr. Where is the advantage?
“He’s a great fighter but I just feel on a completely different level. Whatever he can do, I can do better. I’m bigger, faster, stronger, smarter. I’m hungry. I went to get whatever they put on the table and that belt would be on the table so I went to get it. That’s what you have to do when you fight champions, you have to get that belt.”
