Top welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis will be a very interested observer in the upcoming showdown between world champions Errol Spence and Terence Crawford.
Spence and Crawford will collide for all the gold at 147, the WBO, IBF, WBA, WBC world titles, on July 29th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Showtime Pay-Per-View will carry the event.
Ennis, who holds the IBF’s interim-title, wants the winner of the fight.
“I believe I’m the best option,” the 30-0 Philly fighter said to TMZ. “I feel like everybody wants to see me versus Spence or me versus Bud. I don’t think they want to see nobody else fight them.”
Ennis might have to wait a little bit longer, as both Spence and Crawford have the option to exercise an immediate rematch clause – which almost guarantees a second meeting.
Before he can fully focus on the Spence-Crawford winner, Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) will return to the ring on Saturday night in Atlantic City, when he faces Roiman Villa. The fight will be televised by Showtime.
Heading into his most recent bout, Ennis had scored 19 KOs in his last 20 fights, before showing his ability to go the 12-round distance for the first time as he shut out Karen Chukhadzhian on his way to a unanimous decision in January.
A native of Rosario, Venezuela, Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) delivered one of 2023’s biggest upsets in January as he eked out a majority decision victory over the previously undefeated top contender Rashidi Ellis.
In an exciting toe-to-toe bout, Villa broke through in the 12th and final round as he dropped Ellis twice to clinch the career-changing win.
The 30-year-old made a memorable U.S. debut last September as he dropped the previously unbeaten Janelson Bocachica on his way to a unanimous decision. The only blemish on his resume came via a 2019 split-decision in Mexico against Marcos Vilasana.