Jaron Ennis dismantles Sergey Lipinets in six!
In his latest in-ring assignment, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (27-0, 25 KO’s) prevailed by way of sixth round stoppage. His opponent, Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KO’s), was game yet simply outclassed. It was a great quality win by the fast rising welterweight contender who is vigorously chasing his first world title. The victory should help advance that cause and his placement in the rankings.
Heading into the prizefight, Boots was already ranked #12 (WBC), #9 (IBF) and #7 (WBO). Meanwhile, Lipinets went in ranked as #9 (WBO) and #3 (IBF). Clearly the win will bump Ennis up a few notches as the Samurai descends in his overall standings. Furthermore, it will only further embolden the confident Philly fighter to strive harder to achieve his professional goals. Lipinets was the first former world champion that Boots has bested in the ring. Yet, it should be mentioned that the Russian won Terence Crawford’s vacated IBF strap. Then lost it in his first defense to Mikey Garcia.
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FLYING COLORS
The bout opened in rather mundane fashion as Ennis casually circled Lipinets popping his job out of the orthodox stance. The Samurai did little worth mentioning. Boots came out in the second round assuming the southpaw stance and refocused his attack downstairs. He did not abandon his jab but only added a bevy of thumping hooks to his selection of punches. In this round, Lipinets landed better but handily lost the period.
The third round brought a third shift in the bout. Now both men mutually volunteered to step in the phone booth. Unfortunately for the Samurai, Ennis’ shots appeared to carry far more weight than his own. Not only did Boots continue to land more you could now see the air beginning to seep out of Lipinets. To make matters even more daunting the smooth defense that Ennis was employing often had Lipniet’s missing by a country mile.
The Samurai would be charged for a knockdown in the fourth although replays would show that the fighter’s legs got tangled together. Little about the fight dynamics shifted in the fifth yet Ennis would suffer a low blow that briefly halted the action. Referee Arthur Mercante would issue a stern warning to Linipets for the infraction. Apparently angered by the earlier infraction, the Philly prospect entered the sixth with a chip on his shoulder. Yet, rather than lose himself, he went into “Call of Duty” mode and began sniping the Samurai with debilitating hooks to the head and body.
Ennis would throw a swift jab, hook, hook and move. While maintaining this simple formula, he tore into Lipinets like a wood chipper. Late in the round the night ended with a crunching right hook followed by a left uppercut. The two-piece put the Samurai on his back from which he would not rise. Before even arriving at the count of five referee Mercante called the bout off. This was an impressive win for Ennis as he looked fantastic and became the first fighter to stop Lipinets within the distance.
Now that he has passed his toughest test with flying colors, the Philly native will continue his journey to a world title shot. As he is still rising up the rankings it’s likely too soon to think that one of the champions will want to fight next. In the WBO, were he has his highest ranking, the top three boxers are Shawn Porter, Vergil Ortiz Jr and Mikey Garcia. Of course there is also the champion Terence Crawford. All said to say the road is not going to get any easier for the talented Philly fighter.
By: Bakari Simpson
