Undefeated rising star Jaron “Boots” Ennis will defend his Interim IBF Welterweight Title against the biggest puncher he has faced in all-action contender Roiman Villa headlining action live on SHOWTIME on Saturday, July 8 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT and will also feature rising Cuban sensation Yoelvis Gómez taking on middleweight contender Marquis Taylor in the 10-round co-main event, plus hard-hitting lightweight knockout artist Edwin De Los Santos faces former amateur superstar Joseph Adorno in the explosive 10-round telecast opener.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, go on sale Monday, June 19 at 10 a.m. ET and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com. The Ennis vs. Villa fight is promoted in association with D&D Boxing and Sampson Boxing.
“Saturday, July 8 in Atlantic City will feature three exciting clashes that all have the ingredients to deliver action-packed bouts and memorable knockouts,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Jaron Ennis has shown his ability to be a future star of the sport, but he’ll be up against his most difficult opponent so far in Roiman Villa, who will look to pick up his second major upset of the year. Make sure you tune into SHOWTIME or get into your seat early, because all these fights have the ability to end at any moment.”
Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) is the latest in the pantheon of outstanding Philadelphia fighters, combining top boxing skills with natural power in both hands to vault up the welterweight division and establish himself as amongst the 147-pound elite. After two appearances on SHOBOX: The New Generation®, the 25-year-old Ennis graduated to headlining his first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast in April 2021, as he became the first fighter to stop former world champion Sergey Lipinets. Heading into his most recent bout, Ennis had scored 19 KOs in his last 20 fights, before showing his ability to go the 12-round distance for the first time as he shut out Karen Chukhadzhian on his way to a unanimous decision in January.
A native of Rosario, Venezuela, Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) delivered one of 2023’s biggest upsets in January as he eked out a majority decision victory over the previously undefeated top contender Rashidi Ellis. In an exciting toe-to-toe bout, Villa broke through in the 12th and final round as he dropped Ellis twice to clinch the career-changing win. The 30-year-old made a memorable U.S. debut last September as he dropped the previously unbeaten Janelson Bocachica on his way to a unanimous decision. The only blemish on his resume came via a 2019 split-decision in Mexico against Marcos Vilasana.
The 25-year-old Gómez (6-0, 5 KOs) made a big statement in his U.S. debut on Christmas Day 2021, blasting out the typically durable Clay Collard in the first round of their showdown. Born in Havana, Cuba and now training in Los Angeles, the southpaw showed power in both hands and relentless finishing skills, immediately making him a rising contender in the talent-laden super welterweight division. He most recently stepped up his competition again, cruising to a shutout unanimous decision against hard-hitting veteran Jorge Cota in May 2022 on SHOWTIME.
Representing his native Houston, Taylor (14-1-2, 1 KO) is unbeaten since dropping a four-round decision to Ladarius Miller in just his fourth pro fight back in 2015. Since then, the 29-year-old has worked his way up the ladder, including scoring victories over then-unbeaten fighters Sanjarbek Rakhmanov, Marlon Harrington and Jimmy Williams. Taylor has also fought tough contenders Paul Kroll and Luke Santamaria to draws and most recently defeated Oscar Chacin in February of this year.
De Los Santos (15-1, 14 KOs) has scored emphatic knockout victories over previously undefeated opponents in his last two outings to stamp himself as a young fighter to watch. Last September the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic-native stepped in on short notice and dramatically stopped Jose Valenzuela in three rounds to punctuate a firefight that saw both men hit the canvas. Previously, De Los Santos blasted out Luis Acosta in two rounds in March 2022. The 23-year-old power-puncher has ended all but one of his victories by knockout since turning pro in 2018
Adorno (17-2-2, 14 KOs) will look to get back in the win column after losing a narrow decision to 140-pound contender Elvis Rodriguez in February. Prior to that defeat, Adorno had won three-straight bouts, including a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Hugo Alberto Roldan in September 2022. The 24-year-old was born in Union City, N.J., and now resides in Allentown, Pa., and is trained by respected coach Raul “Chino” Rivas. Adorno turned pro in 2016 at the age of 17 after a standout amateur career where he amassed a 178-22 record and beat two-division champion Shakur Stevenson twice in the unpaid ranks.
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa Tripleheader Official For July 8 in Atlantic City
Comments
BlackRobbTue Jun 20, 2023, 9:58 PM UTC
There's only one Tommy Hearns but in this era, Boots Ennis is here right now, and he's a major threat to anyone active today, at or around his weight. And if you can't see that, u are not seeing clearly. You gotta realize that these men that u call body bags, are pros who train and come in thinking they can win. The worst of these men can turn the average guy on the street into a vegetable, in a boxing ring. They're not body bags, they're rugged, conditioned, skilled and strong men. Boots makes them look ordinary though, because he's levels above these guys. That doesn't mean they can't fight. Custio Clayton represented Canada in the Olympics. U don't make it to the Olympics if you can't fight. Boots smoked him in two rounds, with Errol Spence watching from ringside. Boots may not be Tommy Hearns in style, but he gets the job done like Hearns used to. He does it in his own unique great way, switching sides, fast and flashy, and has KO'd opponents with uppercuts, straight rights, right hand chops, left hooks, and body shots. He's balanced and complete in the ring. Boots' skills demand respect and admiration. You have to really appreciate what he brings- speed, power, skills, IQ, and a killer instinct. He also brings condition. He had to chase Karen for 12 rounds and Karen was as fast and fit as a rabbit. And Boots stood up in between rounds, and at the end of the fight, was barely breathing out of his mouth. That's different in this era
Boots certainly does look like the goods, but no one knows how good he is until he's in with a top level guy. A knife that cuts only butter can't be considered a sharp knife, now can it? Milton McCrory looked phenomenal until he faced Donald Curry. Jeff Lacy looked ferocious until he faced Joe Calzaghe.
archiemoore1Tue Jun 20, 2023, 7:56 PM UTC
I agree with you about the rankings. The rankings make very little sense, but please let's stop acting like Boots is Tommy Hearns just because he has a 30-0 record fighting body bags. The Villa fight is a step in the right direction, though.
There's only one Tommy Hearns but in this era, Boots Ennis is here right now, and he's a major threat to anyone active today, at or around his weight. And if you can't see that, u are not seeing clearly. You gotta realize that these men that u call body bags, are pros who train and come in thinking they can win. The worst of these men can turn the average guy on the street into a vegetable, in a boxing ring. They're not body bags, they're rugged, conditioned, skilled and strong men. Boots makes them look ordinary though, because he's levels above these guys. That doesn't mean they can't fight. Custio Clayton represented Canada in the Olympics. U don't make it to the Olympics if you can't fight. Boots smoked him in two rounds, with Errol Spence watching from ringside. Boots may not be Tommy Hearns in style, but he gets the job done like Hearns used to. He does it in his own unique great way, switching sides, fast and flashy, and has KO'd opponents with uppercuts, straight rights, right hand chops, left hooks, and body shots. He's balanced and complete in the ring. Boots' skills demand respect and admiration. You have to really appreciate what he brings- speed, power, skills, IQ, and a killer instinct. He also brings condition. He had to chase Karen for 12 rounds and Karen was as fast and fit as a rabbit. And Boots stood up in between rounds, and at the end of the fight, was barely breathing out of his mouth. That's different in this era
BlackRobbTue Jun 20, 2023, 3:54 PM UTC
You have a tired old argument. Rankings mean nothing these days, because 1) many champions rarely fight their mandatories and 2) ppl get ranked or removed from rankiings for political reasons. For example, the WBO top 10 rankings are: 1) Rocha 2) Cody Crowley 3) Rashidii Ellis 4) virgil ortiz jr 5) giovani santillan 6) blair cobbs 7) Jamal James 8) Sasaki 9) Taylor 10) Mario Barrios. Now ask yourself, how many of these men do u think would beat Boots Ennis? If Boots isn't ranked at or near the top of every sanctioning body, that lets u know it's political. Rashiidi Ellis got his *** whipped. Why is he number 3? Who the fu..k is Cody Crowley, can he beat Boots? Virgil Ortiz is very inactive why is he number 4? Santillan # 5? Blair Cobbs got his *** whipped good on tv. Why is he even in the top 10? Jamal james is decent but could he beat Boots? Not a chance in hell. Sasaki-no comment. Mario Barrios was punished and knocked out by a 135 lb guy in Tank Davis. Why is he even ranked at welterweight, at all? What has he done at welterweight to be ranked, let alone higher than Boots Ennis? So Boots deserves it because he would knock out all these so called top 10 ranked guys with ease. So please stop with the lame duck excuse of who has he fought, and use common sense sometimes
I agree with you about the rankings. The rankings make very little sense, but please let's stop acting like Boots is Tommy Hearns just because he has a 30-0 record fighting body bags. The Villa fight is a step in the right direction, though.
archiemoore1Mon Jun 19, 2023, 3:35 PM UTC
So he deserves it because he has thirty fights against guys he was overwhelmingly favored to beat?
You have a tired old argument. Rankings mean nothing these days, because 1) many champions rarely fight their mandatories and 2) ppl get ranked or removed from rankiings for political reasons. For example, the WBO top 10 rankings are: 1) Rocha 2) Cody Crowley 3) Rashidii Ellis 4) virgil ortiz jr 5) giovani santillan 6) blair cobbs 7) Jamal James 8) Sasaki 9) Taylor 10) Mario Barrios. Now ask yourself, how many of these men do u think would beat Boots Ennis? If Boots isn't ranked at or near the top of every sanctioning body, that lets u know it's political. Rashiidi Ellis got his *** whipped. Why is he number 3? Who the fu..k is Cody Crowley, can he beat Boots? Virgil Ortiz is very inactive why is he number 4? Santillan # 5? Blair Cobbs got his *** whipped good on tv. Why is he even in the top 10? Jamal james is decent but could he beat Boots? Not a chance in hell. Sasaki-no comment. Mario Barrios was punished and knocked out by a 135 lb guy in Tank Davis. Why is he even ranked at welterweight, at all? What has he done at welterweight to be ranked, let alone higher than Boots Ennis? So Boots deserves it because he would knock out all these so called top 10 ranked guys with ease. So please stop with the lame duck excuse of who has he fought, and use common sense sometimes
BlackRobbMon Jun 19, 2023, 2:09 PM UTC
What do u mean? He deserves it because he's been asking for it for years and beating everyone's *** who is put in front of him. He puts ppl to sleep. If u base his worth on who he's fought to deserve a shot, then that becomes every champions excuse to avoid a guy they don't wanna fight. That's like saying who has David Benavidez fought to deserve Canelo. that became Canelo's excuse for years and years to keep ducking and dodging him. Who did Avni Yildirim and Rocky Fielding fight to deserve Canelo? But they still got a shot, because they were safe opponents. So it'll be the same bs excuses like this, until someone with a name steps up and fights Boots.
So he deserves it because he has thirty fights against guys he was overwhelmingly favored to beat?
