You must feel sorry for Roiman Villa.
Jaron Ennis overcame his fellow welterweight opponent, kept a stab in his face, knocked him out with hits that would have stopped many boxers, methodically beat him and finally brutally beat him in round 10lame pants Saturday round at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Villa, as persistent as they come, never stops trying but he also never has a realistic chance. Ennis, probably the best boxer in the world who hasn’t competed for the big belt yet, played so well.
BOOGEYMAN REMOVE@JaronEnnis KOs Villa in round 10 to switch to 31-0 ⭐#EnnisVilla pic.twitter.com/cIiuRPbUL5
– SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 9, 2023
Ennis said: “I knew I would start breaking up with him sooner. “Pop (coach Bozy Ennis) kept saying, ‘Just wait, not yet. You’re breaking him, keep taking your time. You will get him. That’s what I did.
“I came back happy, sharp and I won.”
Ennis, alternately fighting from an orthodox stance and attacking south, slamming his jab into Villa 26-2, 24 KOs) for most of the match. That alone has made it difficult for the slow Venezuelan athlete to achieve any achievements in a state of disrepair.
However, Ennis used the jab to set up some of the strongest punches in the business. Villa clearly has one of the best in boxing but even he can only endure so many penalties before he can’t continue anymore.
Villa had his moments, especially when Ennis unleashed his brawl instincts. They engaged in some interesting exchanges from close range, and Villa had some nice shots.
However, that is the exception. Ennis never engages for too long, using his feet to move out of danger and continue attacking from a safer distance.
Ennis said: “My performance was very good but there are many things I could have done better. “I could have listened to my corner a little more. My dad wanted more body shots and more angles. I stood in front of him a little too much, getting hit by shots I shouldn’t have.
“But at the end of the day, you know.”
At the end of the day, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) did what he expected: Score another knockout.
The important shot went straight to Villa’s chin, causing him serious injury. Ennis followed with a right hook that sent his wilting prey onto the canvas just as referee David Fields was jumping between them, seemingly intent on stopping the game.
Fields did so with a glazed Villas sitting on the bottom rope. The official stoppage time is 1:27 of 10lame pants round.
The fact that Villa has lasted so long is a testament to his conditioning, determination and ability to withstand blows.
“I’m not surprised,” Ennis said of the opponent’s durability. “I knew he was a tough kid. I just need to be smart, slowly, keep touching him. I know I will get him.
Now if he can only get a big fight.
Ennis’ performance underscores the notion that he’s a threat to anyone, including 147-pound kings Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., who are expected to face off against each other to win the undisputed championship on July 29.
Of course, Ennis enjoyed fighting the winner. However, given the possibility of a Crawford-Spence rematch and the general unpredictability of boxing, Ennis wasn’t counting on anything.
He told Boxing Junkie a week before the match that he could only do one thing: be ready when the time comes. He’s definitely ready on Saturday.
“I will take [Eimantas] Stanionis. [Vergil] Ortiz, his opponent, fell or something [on Saturday]” he say. “I’ll take the Stanionis in a heartbeat. I want to try to get back in the ring again at the end of the year. Let’s make it happen. Stanionis, Keith Thurman, [Yordenis] Ugas, Buds [Crawford]Spence, all the top guys out there.
“Let’s make these wars happen. Let’s make it pop.
