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By: Hans Themistode
Jaron Ennis has done his best to wait patiently for his turn. But, as the Philadelphia native continues to lay waste to the rest of his 147 pound contemporaries, he believes it’s only a matter of time before he does the same to the upper echelon of the welterweight division.
While Ennis has always been lauded for his otherworldly talent, 2021 was easily his best year yet. The 24-year-old eagerly took on former 140 pound titlist Sergey Lipinets, stopping the rough and rugged Kazakhstan in the sixth round. At the tail end of the year, Ennis punctuated his placement as one of the world’s best fighters, violently stopping former title challenger Thomas Dulorme in the very first round.
As Ennis continues to hone his craft, he has slowly but assuredly worked his way up the welterweight rankings. Presently, the young and flashy contender ranks in the top three of all four sanctioning bodies. However, with former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter recently retiring, as well as Kudratillo Abdukakhorov recently suffering defeat for the first time in his career, he now finds himself as the highest-ranked fighter in the IBF sanctioning body.
At the moment, Errol Spence Jr. is the proud owner of that IBF trinket, as well as the WBC crown. With the pair seemingly on a collision course, Ennis didn’t hold his tongue when asked how a showdown between himself and Spence Jr. plays out.
“I will beat him,” said Ennis during an interview with FightHype.com. “I’m ready. Those guy, they know. That’s why they won’t take a fight like me. They can’t keep putting me to the side.”
Spence Jr., 31, has openly acknowledged that Ennis should be considered one of the best welterweights in the world. However, despite confessing that Ennis is extremely talented, the powerful southpaw is focusing on collecting more hardware.
According to the unified titlist, a showdown between himself and WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas, is on the verge of taking place sometime in April.
Regardless of whether or not Spence Jr. continues to pilfer more gold, Ennis believes he’ll ultimately dethrone the former Olympian and highly rated pound-for-pound star to begin his own reign as welterweight champion.
“This is going to be the best year of my career so far. It’s time for us to shine and take over this welterweight division.”
