Jaron Ennis: The future welterweight king?

It’s been nearly a year since the young talented Philadelphia prospect Jaron Ennis (22-0, 20KOs) was last seen in action, and that’s a shame. A future star like him shouldn’t be left on the shelf for so long, and his abilities need to be showcased more often. He has the potential of becoming the best welterweight and a pound-for-pound caliber fighter. Ennis’ last twelve victories were via stoppage, and it’s looking like he will extend the streak on August 23rd when he faces Franklin Mamani in a junior-middleweight match on Main Street in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. His bout is on the non-televised undercard of ShoBox The New Generation, which is headlined by Vladimir Shinskin vs. Deandre Ware. Ennis is must-see TV, and it’s unfortunate that his skills won’t be showcased in front of a greater television audience. He is the most impressive fighter on the card, and his innate talents may be recognized as more distinguished later down the road.

Ennis is focused and possesses a great worth ethic, and will only continue to improve. He is 22 years old, and his ring generalship is already advanced. He enjoys taunting his lesser opposition and fires punches from crazy angles. He is unpredictable, yet effective. He doesn’t box in a textbook manner, but that is what makes him entertaining. Ennis is a showman, and even mocks some opponents by looking away and using his peripheral vision to dodge the incoming blow. He loves playing around in the ring, but the results so far speak for themself.

His footwork and head movement are honestly reminiscent of the late great Pernell Whitaker. He simply baffles other fighters, as they can’t hit him or elude his fast and powerful punches that can’t be anticipated. Ennis punches to the body effectively and mixes up his punches well. Usually, a fighter of his age with incredible speed and natural ability just wins fights on athleticism alone; but Ennis is already ahead of the curve, displaying veteran tendencies. Whenever there looks to be an opportunity to pounce on Ennis, he parries the punch and counters immediately. He does it so quickly that it looks like the screen is fast-forwarding. Ennis is just that impressive.

He is trained by his father, Derek Ennis, in an old-school Philadelphia gym. Ennis’ two brothers were accomplished amateur fighters, and it’s clear that the family pedigree carried over to Jaron. Ennis doesn’t use any fancy training equipment. He chops wood and does rope and tire workouts for strength and conditioning. While so many young fighters train in altitude chambers and exercise with “scientific precision,” Ennis goes by a more classic workout regimen. He doesn’t use state-of-the-art equipment and what he has been doing thus far seems to be working. Once he is more active and receives the necessary opportunities, it will become more evident that he is going to be a major force at welterweight. Ennis will keep getting better, and higher quality opposition will bring the best out of him. He has what it takes to eventually be the king of the welterweight division.