By: Sean Crose
Jaron Ennis has wanted an opponent of note for a while now. This Saturday night, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, the undefeated rising welterweight will take on former titlist Sergey Lipinets in a scheduled 12 round affair. Ennis, who has won 24 of his 26 fights by knockout (he hasn’t suffered a single loss) is the featured attraction on this weekend’s Showtime Boxing broadcast. That means a win over the skilled Lipinets will be hard for the division’s bigger names to ignore. The fact is irrefutable: Lipinets can make or break the slow trajectory of Ennis’ rising star.
Not that Lipinets intends to simply be an opponent. He’s held a world title belt at junior welterweight, after all. What’s more, his only loss was at the gloved hands of a legitimate big-name fighter – Mikey Garcia. And that loss came via a decision, not a stoppage or knockout. In other words, the 16-1-1 Lipinets is a legitimate step up for Ennis…and Ennis is a potential career booster for Lipinets. This could prove to be an interesting fight. Lipinets may be close to 10 years Ennis’ senior, but at 32, he is far from over the hill in contemporary boxing years.
Well known vet Thomas Dulorme will also appear on Saturday’s card. The 25-4-1 fighter will be facing another rising star, Eimantas Stanionis, who at 12-0 is looking to elevate his career with a win over truly notable competition. Stanionis, a former Lithuanian Olympian, has been on the receiving end of some good press, but the 31 year old Dulorme will certainly be hoping to earn another notable win, this time against a young – Stanionis is 26 – up and comer. The fight, like Ennis-Lipinets, is being held in the welterweight division and is scheduled for 12 rounds. It will be fascinating to see how this one plays out.
The IBF super flyweight title will be at stake on Saturday, as well, as defending champion Jerwin Ancajas will defend his crown against the 22-1 Jonathan Javier Rodriguez in a scheduled 12 round affair. The 32-1-1 Ancajas has defended his title a total of eight times. Rodriguez, his mandatory opponent, is looking to leave his mark on the fight world by besting the Filipino champion before Showtime cameras. Whether or not Rodriguez will actually be able to best the southpaw Ancajas is another story. The entire card begins at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time Saturday evening.