Jaron Ennis will look to keep his undefeated record intact when he defends his interim IBF welterweight title against big puncher Roiman Villa from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The televised portion of the card begins at 9:30 p.m. on SHOWTIME.
Ennis (30-0, 27 KO) is one of the best knockout artists in the welterweight division. The 26-year-old Philadelphia-born former Golden Gloves champion has finished six of his past eight opponents by knockout. He won the interim IBF title with a unanimous decision victory over Karen Chukhadzhian on January 7.
Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) promises to be a tough opponent and a step up in class for Ennis. The 30-year-old Columbian is known for his power punching and aggression in going after the knockout. Villas has stopped four of his past six opponents. The challenger is no stranger to Atlantic City either. He won his most recent fight there, earning a unanimous decison against Jamelson Figueroa Bocachica on September 9, 2022.
Ennis comes into the bout as the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. He is a -1400 favorite while Villa is a +750 underdog.
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa round-by-round results
Round 1: Ennis 10-9
Boots controls the action early, spending the first 30 seconds of the fight testing out some jabs. Ennis is already working off the jab and lands a clean body shot. Villa isn’t moving a lot and wasn’t expected to. Boots lands a right jab and followed it up with an immediate uppercut. Ennis threw over 45 jabs this round, while Villa didn’t muster much offense.
Round 2: Ennis 10-9, 20-18
I don’t know the record for jabs in a fight, but Ennis seems content on pushing it. He continues throwing in some body shots and hooks alongside his jabs. Boots starts landing some heavier shots and gets Villa against the ropes, bringing the crowd into it. Villa is bleeding from his nose but still throws some hooks that don’t connect fully. He then lands some good shots getting Ennis in the corner, but Ennis wraps up, landing some body shots in the process. Villa looked better this round, but it is still all Ennis.
Round 3: Ennis 10-9, 30-27
Villa is starting to move his feet toward Ennis, forcing him toward the ropes. He lands a big right on Ennis, but Boots gets some punches to land in the exchange. It looks like Villa finally flipped the switch because he is landing some uppercuts and hooks as the boxers exchange some big shots. Ennis takes a big body shot but lands one on Villa’s chin. Most exciting round so far.
Round 4: Ennis 10-9, 40-36
Ennis lands some clean body shots and a straight jab. He shows off the speed of his punches again. Villa hasn’t landed much clean in the first two minutes, with Boots working in an effective uppercut. Ennis switches away from southpaw and lands a powerful right hand. Villa wakes up in the waning seconds with a big left. Still, have Ennis clearing so far.
Round 5: Ennis 10-9, 50-45
Villa gets Ennis in the corner early and puts forth some offense with solid body hooks. He caught Ennis with a jab that seemed to shake him, and Villa stayed on offense. The boxers are throwing big shots that are narrowly missing; if one hits, this one could be ending early. Ennis goes for a clinch that isn’t granted, and Villa uses the opportunity to land several shots. Ennis can’t stop Villa from moving forward despite multiple jabs connecting with his face. This round was fun and closer than most others have been.
Round 6: Ennis 10-9, 60-54
Boots starts this round off as a southpaw and connects with an early jab. Villa looks like he is trying to get in his opponent’s head, reacting to shots that are missing and taunting Ennis. Villa continues walking him down. Boots then connects with a huge right, and the knees of Villa are wobbly. You could make a case that Villa had the first half of the round, but Ennis caught fire after that big right.
Round 7: Ennis 10-9, 70-63
Ennis tried to see if he could keep the momentum going, but Villa has recovered from last round’s hit, at least with his legs under him. Villa connects on a big right. Boots then responds with a big left uppercut which again wobbled Villa. They exchange body shots. The fighters are leaning on each other more, causing a ref separation. To his credit, Villa lands another big shot, but Ennis instantly responds with one of his own.
Round 8: Ennis 10-9, 80-72
Villa showing that he is still in this one, throwing some power hooks. Each fighter exchanging punches, and it is notable that Ennis has eaten some shots. Villa must have a steel chin because with about 30 seconds to go, Boots connects on at least three strong shots right to the chin. You can tell Ennis wants the knockout, and Villa isn’t giving it to him through eight.
Round 9: Ennis 10-9, 90-81
The doctor spent most of the intermission with Villa, and we almost didn’t get a ninth round, but the boxer got back into the middle of the ring. Ennis connects on a shot to the back of the head, and Villa doesn’t look sturdy. Boots is trying to set up a knockout blow, but Villa has kept his body close, not letting it happen. Villa lost his mouthpiece, and we have a slight stoppage. Villa is following his punches, but much more because he is wobbly. He throws an extra punch or two after the bell, and the ref has words with him.
Round 10: Ennis TKO-10
Ennis starts the round as a righty. Villa threw punches because the ref said he had to show something, but you could see that Ennis was biding his time. Boots connects with a flurry of punches, Villa is wobbly yet again and Ennis lands a few more punches. Villa gets knocked down for the first time in his career, and this one is over as it is stopped.