Pick It: TBRB #4 Jarron Ennis vs. #7 Roiman Villa (Saturday, Showtime, 9:00 PM EST)

This welterweight main event threatened to be overshadowed by another welterweight clash on Saturday night. The cancellation of Vergil Ortiz-Eimantas Stanionis clears the way for this fight to have the stage to itself.

The 26-year old Ennis (30-0, 27 KO) and 30-year old Villa (26-1, 24 KO) were both victorious on the undercard of Tank Davis-Hector Garcia earlier this year and now turn their attention to each other. The winner will be positioned to challenge the winner of Errol Spence-Terence Crawford in theory but in reality may find Stanionis available in the fall and in desperate need of a fight. Either way, the welterweight field whittles down a hair on Saturday night.       

Additional Shows to Watch For

Friday - Pacheco vs. Gallegos (DAZN, 8 PM EST)

Super middleweights take center stage. 22-year old Diego Pacheco (18-0, 15 KO) shows a lot of promise and carries a lot of size for the weight at 6’4. The 26-year old Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KO) enters off a draw, carries some power, and has never been stopped.

Saturday - Schofield vs. Rhodes (DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)

This had one of the best main events of the summer on paper until it didn’t. Losing Ortiz-Stanionis is a letdown for the fans. It’s an opportunity for a young lightweight hopeful. 20-year old Floyd Schofield (14-0, 11 KO) has a chance to make an impression in a lightweight division that is as stacked as fans could ask for. 35-year old Haskell Rhodes (28-4, 13 KO) has only been stopped once as a professional.  

Saturday - #3 Nery vs. Saludar (ESPN+, 9 PM EST)

Waiting in the wings for the winner of Stephen Fulton-Naoya Inoue isn’t a bad place to be at Jr. featherweight. 28-year old former two-division champion Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KO) is coming off an absolutely nasty brawl with Azat Hovahannisyan and could use some time to work out any bruises left from that affair. 34-year old Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KO) has been stopped three times and lost three of his last five. Nery should still be safely in wait by night’s end. 

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com