Very few fighters capture the boxing public’s attention the way Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has.
Boots has everything that a fighter could have power, speed, athleticism and a fantastic boxing brain.
Jaron Ennis has yet to fight any elite-level talent but has shown that he can hang with the best. Boots has an undefeated record of 31-0 with 28 KO’s.
Embed from Getty ImagesRumours of a fight with Terence Crawford have been floated around but a fight is yet to materialise. In boxing nowadays a lot is made of the likes of Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis etc. However, Jaron Ennis often gets overlooked when it comes to future pound-for-pound kings.
I am going to look at what makes Boots Ennis such a prestigious talent and why he is a problem for the whole of boxing.
Switch Hitter
Being a switch hitter is often looked down upon in boxing gyms. If we look at some of the great fighters in history very few are switch hitters. The likes of Marvin Hagler and Terence Crawford are a rarity in top-level boxing. Bud Crawford is seen as the best switch-hitter in boxing today. Against Errol Spence Bud fought the whole fight as a southpaw despite his right being his predominant hand.
Terence Crawford however, will traditionally fight out of one stance and then switch to another for the whole of the fight. Boots Ennis is seen as a switch hitter but is more adept at it than most. Ennis switches seamlessly from orthodox to southpaw.
The IBF champ will switch back and forth constantly in his fights. Terence Crawford will change stances and stay in that stance for the whole of the fight. Boots will fight orthodox for a minute of a round and then switch to southpaw for the rest of the round.
If Jaron Ennis overextends with an overhand right there is no balance issue for him as he is then able to put his right foot forward and fight in the opposite stance. This is far from ideal if you are waiting for the welterweight to make a mistake. Even if the IBF champ is hurt there is a good chance he could still hurt you coming in due to his ambidexterity.
Embed from Getty ImagesLet’s say you hurt him whilst he’s fighting out of the southpaw stance. All it takes is a quick shift of the feet from Boots to switch to orthodox and he can time you with a right hand or a left uppercut coming in.
The scary thing about Ennis’s switch-hitting ability is the way his power carries through both of his hands. When he was younger once Boots had mastered the orthodox stance his father Bozy Ennis trained him to fight out of Southpaw.
This means that no matter if he is trying to knock you out or outbox you he can do it in either stance. This is something that most fighters at the elite level cannot master considering how hard it is to switch stances. Having a fighter who switches the way Boots can is a nightmare for anyone.
Athleticism
Having skills and fundamentals is vital for any boxer to have success in the sport. We saw with Deontay Wilder how far having only power will take you. Not only does Jaron Ennis have the skills but he also has the athleticism to compete with any fighter. Boots has knocked out the majority of the fighters he has faced showing that he has power in his hands. Speed wise Boots has shown on many occasions that he has lightening hand speed.
If we look at his performance against Sergey Lipinets it looked as if Boots was operating at light speed. Lipinets would land one shot and Boots would land 5 to answer back. Every time Boots lands on his opponents you can visibly see them being shaken by his power.
Many fighters have skills but not many have the athleticism as well. Boots Ennis is a unique blend of skill and athleticism which is a nasty combination. It’s unlikely that you will be able to outbox Ennis but it’s equally unlikely that you can go toe to toe with Boots and not get knocked out.
Boxing Brain
Having skill, power and speed is all good but having the brain to go along with it is the key. Boots’s boxing brain is unmatched. Whether it’s his ability to set his punches up or his ability to walk his opponents onto huge shots.
One of Boots’s best attributes is his punch placement and output. You will rarely see Ennis throw an uppercut when he should have thrown a hook. Everything the welterweight throws has perfect placement and power behind it.
As a fighter, setting traps and learning how to walk your opponents onto shots is vital. Ennis has already shown at a young age that he can set up big shots and adapt to any opponent. The jab is the most important punch in boxing and the welterweight champion has different variations that he can use. Boots can use the up jab, the jab to the body and the gazelle jab where he leaps across the ring to land the shot.
Jaron Ennis utilises the Philly Shell as well as any fighter in boxing today. When up close Boots uses the Philly shell to great effect and quite often uses the stance to set up his lethal uppercut. The welterweight is an expert at fighting on the outside with Boots having a reach advantage over most of his opponents. However, due to his use of the Philly shell Ennis can dominate his opponents on the inside.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was a technique that Floyd Mayweather mastered and Ennis is excellent at implementing it. Due to Boots’s longer frame, it makes it harder for opponents to land clean on him.
At this point, Jaron Ennis is not one of the biggest names in boxing but his talent is undeniable. We all saw how long it took for people to finally give Terence Crawford his respect. All it takes is one big fight and the whole world will wake up to the generational talent that is Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Image Credit @boxinglens BoxingLens.com
I was just speaking to a friend the other day about the potential Jaron Ennis has.
Great boxer and a great article, well done.
Ennis will have his time, needs to patient IMO
Ennis has huge potential, way to early for Crawford