Ennis ready for title shot: ‘Sometime in 2021 I’ll be world champion’
The top prospect doesn’t think he’ll wait too much longer for his first title fight.
Top welterweight prospect Jaron “Boots” Ennis will put his undefeated record on the line Saturday (SHO, 9 pm ET) against veteran Juan Carlos Abreu, with the biggest question to most being whether or not the 23-year-old Philly standout will be the first to stop the 33-year-old Dominican.
Ennis (25-0, 23 KO) will certainly be looking for that, but says he won’t be hunting for it, preferring to look for the opportunity and capitalize.
“You’ve just got to let the knockout come. You’ve got to feel it, you can’t just go in there and go for the knockout,” he said. “That’s how you get tired and lose your cool or even get hit with punches that you shouldn’t be getting hit with.”
Ennis continued with that thought, referencing his January win over Bakhtiyar Eyubov. He crushed Eyubov inside of four rounds and looked good to fans, but fighters rarely watch tape without picking up on their own mistakes.
“My last fight, I did good, but there were a lot of things I watched that I could have done better, so that’s what we worked on in this camp, and you guys will see on Saturday night. Being more relaxed and not rushing and letting it come to me,” he added.
As for Abreu (23-5-1, 21 KO), there’s plenty of available footage on him from some notable televised fights, and he’s always been a rugged guy who can hang in and make a go of a fight. He can punch, too, but Ennis says they’re not going to just look at what he’s already done.
“We never prepare one way for one person. We prepare all the way around because you never know how that guy is going to come out. We mix everything up,” Ennis said. “Whatever he brings, we are going to be ready. I’m going to go out there, do my thing, be smart, have my fun, and get that stoppage at the end of the night.”
With a win Saturday, Ennis expects it won’t be too much longer before he gets his first crack at a world title.
“Most definitely I’m ready for a title shot, I’ve been ready,” he said. “After Saturday night I’ll probably get a title eliminator and then sometime in 2021 I’ll be world champion.