ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – Jaron Ennis doesn’t think Roiman Villa quite understands that a lot more separates him from Rashidi Ellis than a letter in their last names.

Villa produced the most noteworthy win of his career when he upset Ellis by majority decision six months ago. The confident Venezuelan veteran insisted on challenging Ennis next, but Ennis is heavily favored to beat the hard-hitting contender in their 12-round fight for Ennis’ IBF interim welterweight title Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall’s Adrian Phillips Theater.

“I honestly think he really don’t know,” Ennis told BoxingScene.com. “I’m not Ellis. You know, Ellis a good fighter, Villa a good fighter, but I’m not Ellis. I think I’mma give him everything he lookin’ for on July 8th, on Saturday night.”

Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) knocked Ellis down twice during the 12th round and won their fight on two scorecards January 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Ellis’ speed, skill and movement made matters difficult for Villa during the first half of their bout, but Villa’s persistent pressure eventually wore down Ellis and led to the two knockdowns that emerged as the differences on the scorecards of judges Dave Braslow (114-112) and Paul Wallace (114-112). Judge Tammye Jenkins scored Villa-Ellis a draw (113-113).

The 30-year-old Ellis, of Lynn, Massachusetts, repeatedly spoke prior to his first professional loss about boxing Ennis next. The dangerous Villa, however, has beaten undefeated fighters – Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) and Janelson Bocachica (17-1-1, 11 KOs) – in back-to-back bouts.

“I don’t think [Ellis] overlooked Villa,” Ennis said. “I think he just got a little tired and gassed out a little bit at the end, toward the end of the fight. But, I mean, like I said before, you gotta keep your eyes on the prize. You gotta keep your eyes on what’s in front of you. You can’t worry about the next fight. You know, you gotta lock in on what’s in front of you.”

Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs, 1 NC) didn’t watch Villa-Ellis in its entirety because he was warming up in his dressing room for the following fight on the Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia undercard.

Ukrainian underdog Karen Chukhadzhian extended Ennis the 12-round distance that night for the first time in Ennis’ seven-year professional career. Chukhadzhian (22-2, 12 KOs) also ended Ennis’ 19-fight knockout streak, which has motivated Ennis even more to produce an explosive, memorable performance versus Villa.

“I feel like this gonna be a legendary performance by me,” Ennis said. “I feel like I’m gonna beat him up, break him down, you know, and get a knockout at the end of the night. You know, I’m back to making statements.”

Ennis-Villa will headline a three-bout broadcast scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. EDT (6:30 p.m. PDT).  

Cuban southpaw Yoelvis Gomez (6-0, 5 KOs) will meet Marquis Taylor (14-1-2, 1 KO), of Galena Park, Texas, in Showtime’s co-feature – a 10-round middleweight match. Lightweights Edwin De Los Santos (15-1, 14 KOs), a Dominican southpaw who resides in Reading, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Adorno (17-2-2, 14 KOs), of Allentown, Pennsylvania, are set to square off in the 10-round opener of Showtime’s telecast.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.