Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis needs one round to win Las Vegas debut
Jaron “Boots” Ennis came to Las Vegas wanting to make a statement.
Check.
Ennis destroyed former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme inside a round, sending a message to the 147-pound division in his Las Vegas debut Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Philadelphia’s Ennis came out in the orthodox stance and dropped Dulorme with an overhand right, but Dulorme rose to his feet and continued to fight back. Then Ennis simply switched to the southpaw stance and landed a clean straight left cross that shut the lights out.
Dulorme couldn’t beat the count and suffered his second knockout loss.
Ennis (28-0, 26 knockouts, one no decision) is one of boxing’s most dynamic fighters, but he’s struggled to get other elite fighters in the ring. After the fight, he called out unified titlist Errol Spence Jr for what would be a massive showdown in the welterweight division.
“We got it early, that’s OK by me,” Ennis said. “We don’t get paid for overtime. I knew it was over after that first knockdown. I just had to take my time and not rush anything. Everything I did we worked on in the gym.”
In the main event, Radzhab Butaev took Jamal James’ secondary world title with a ninth-round technical knockout.
James, whose 6-foot-2-inch frame gives him an advantage over most welterweights, got off to a strong start as Butaev struggled to find a way inside. In the third round, Butaev had success and landed big shots from close range, causing James to retreat.
That continued in the fourth, as both fighters traded on the inside, but Butaev clearly had more on his punches. The Russian was deducted a point in the fifth round for hitting James (27-2, 12 KOs) behind the head, but he continued to press forward and gain control.
There was no way back for James, who displayed his tremendous heart by standing in the pocket with Butaev but was outgunned for the rest of the fight. He couldn’t find a way to get Butaev off him, and his face was increasingly marked up.
In the ninth round, Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) blitzed James and pinned him against the ropes. James was still fighting back, but referee Celestino Ruiz had seen enough and stopped the fight.
Butaev is now set up for a potential welterweight title fight with Yordenis Ugas or Eimantas Stanionis.
Undefeated lightweight prospect Michel Rivera opened the main card with a unanimous decision over Jose Matias Romero. All three scorecards were 100-90.
Rivera (22-0, 14 KOs) took control from the opening bell, backing Romero up to the ropes and landing combinations. Romero never lacked for confidence and was relentless in looking for a way inside.
But Rivera’s reach and movement made the difference. Already down on the scorecards in the fourth round, Romero (24-2, eight KOs) started to march forward and trade with Rivera.
But that led to more punishment, as Rivera evaded most of the firepower coming his way and countered effectively.
The action heated up in the seventh round, as Romero became increasingly more desperate and engaged Rivera in close quarters. He had success in the late rounds, but it wasn’t enough to seriously trouble Rivera.
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
