By: Sean Crose
“He has no problem maintaining focus because he loves what he’s doing and has fun doing it,” Derek Ennis Sr. recently told Premiere Boxing Champions of his son, rising welterweight Jarron “Boots” Ennis. “We don’t have a problem waiting because we know for a fact his time is coming. It’s up to us to be ready when we get that call.” As Jarron’s trainer, the elder Ennis knows there’s a lot on the line this weekend when his 27-0 son steps into the ring at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas to battle popular vet Thomas Dulorme, 25-5-1. The younger Ennis is being viewed as quickly working his way to a title shot. An upset loss can certainly act as a bump in the road to a title fight.
Ennis, however, appears confident, at least in part because of his lifestyle choices. “I’ve always been told to stay in the gym,” the fighter said to PBC. “After this fight, I’ll be back in the gym on Monday helping everyone else get ready for their fights. I’ve been doing this my whole life, but I feel like my body is going to let me do this as long as I want because I live a clean life.”
Rob Acosta, who runs Ennis’ strength and conditioning program, is clearly impressed with the fighter’s discipline. “His speed, his coordination, his foot movements, and even his eye speed,” said Acosta, “it helps that he’s always in the gym, he never stops.” The Philly native credits his father/trainer for being a positive influence. He has also seen the errors others before him have made.
“My discipline comes from my dad and watching the mistakes my brothers made outside of the ring during their careers,” he said. “I’ve always been told to stay in the gym.” Acosta claimed Ennis’ discipline both in and out of the ring makes his own job easier. “I’m lucky I don’t have to worry about him, about what he eats,” Costa said. “He’s cautious about everything he puts into his body. Not even something like COVID stopped him. His self-motivation is something I’ve never seen before.”
Yet Dulorme undoubtedly wants to make the most of this weekend’s fight, as well. A win over Ennis would be a huge upset, especially when one considers the fact that Dulorme has lost his last two fights in a row. Team Ennis, however, feels it’s their time to push closer and closer to a title bout