By: Hans Themistode
Before the year’s end, both Jaron Ennis and Thomas Dulorme will look to make a statement.
The pair have officially inked an agreement to face one another this coming fall in either October or November. Originally, the pair was scheduled to face off on December 19th, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Approximately one month before they swapped fists, however, Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) was forced to withdraw from their contest after testing positive for COVID-19.
Still attempting to salvage the date, Chris Van Heerden stepped in with only a few weeks to prepare. While Ennis was pegged as the huge favorite, he was unable to prove his supporter’s correct thanks to a clash of heads which left Heerden unable to continue.
Although Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) could have opted to have an immediate rematch, he instead chose to take on the much more dangerous Sergey Lipinets, a former 140-pound belt holder. Despite Lipinets representing the most difficult challenge of his career, the Philadelphia native made it look incredibly easy, dropping his man twice on the night before ultimately finishing him off in the sixth.
Following the win, Ennis continued his push for a world title shot. Currently, the 147-pound contender is ranked in the top ten in three of the four sanctioning bodies, number eight in the WBC, number four in the IBF, and number five in the WBO.
But while the career of Ennis continues to soar, Dulorme is looking to stop his current two-fight losing skid. In August of 2020, Dulorme attempted to wrap an interim world title around his waist with a win over Jamal James. Although the Puerto Rican native fought a competitive fight, he lost a close but clear unanimous decision.
In an attempt to rebuild himself, Dulorme took on highly rated, undefeated contender Eimantas Stanionis. The two would clash in the main event slot at the Mohegan Sun in mid-April, earlier this year. While Dulorme would once again fight a competitive fight, he would come up short, losing yet another unanimous decision.