World-rated welterweight Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 27-0 (25) is closing in on a world title shot following his sixth-round knockout victory over former IBF junior welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets 16-2-1 (12) at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old switch-hitting Philly fighter boxed beautifully against Lipinets, breaking him down before knocking him out with a straight left at 2:11 of the sixth.
The fight was a step up in competition for Ennis, who despite having more professional fights was nine years younger than Lipinets.
“I’ll always be hard on myself when I look back at my performance,” said Ennis. “My goal is to keep getting better, sharper, faster and stronger so I can become world champion.
“As long as I keep fighting top guys, I’m happy. I feel like I will be world champion by the end of this year or beginning of next year. Patience is the key though.
“Lipinets has been in there with the best before, so I wasn’t surprised he held up for a while. I knew he’d be durable. That’s why I didn’t jump on the gas right away. I just took my time and broke him down.
“I think I graduated tonight. It’s on the up and up now. It’s onto bigger and better fights now.”
Ennis, who is ranked WBO number seven, IBF number nine and WBC number 12, joins Vergil Ortiz Jr 17-0 (17) as one of the leading contenders in the 147-pound weight class.
The undefeated duo of WBO champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 37-0 (28) and WBC and IBF champion Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence 27-0 (21) are the best of the bunch at welterweight.
“Like I said before, there’s only bigger and better fights now,” Ennis said. “We work on [power shots] in the gym. I’m comfortable on both sides [left and right]. I’m going to keep on staying more relaxed. When I hit somebody, I get a little excited sometimes.”