It’s a Family Affair for Fast Risers “Boots” Ennis and Gary Antuanne Russell

There has been a bumper crop of fine breakthrough fighters this year including Danny Roman, Filip Hrgovic, Jaime Munguia, Tevin Farmer, Maurice Hooker and Regis Prograis. Of course, the line that separates this category from top prospect is very thin, and maybe Hrgovic should be considered a prospect. If so, then there might be another worth mentioning.

Enter Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

This flashy 21-year-old rangy Philadelphia welterweight is moving up like a shooting star!

He was 5-0 in 2018, winning all five bouts by decisive stoppage, and is now on a streak of 12 straight stoppages. His latest came on November 16 when he blew away veteran Raymond “Tito” Serrano with three spectacular knockdowns in the second round bringing his record to 22-0 with 20 KOs. Boots used different punches to score the knockdowns, ending matters with an uppercut.

The poorly matched Serrano has now suffered six losses against opponents with a combined record of 111-1-1.

While this win was in front of a standing-room only crowd at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, the fan-friendly “Boots” has fought in a number of other states, stopping veteran Mike Arnaoutis in Atlantic City, Samuel Amoako in Norfolk, VA, Tavorus Teague in New Mexico, and undefeated Armando Álvarez in Iowa (where Boots scored four knockdowns) to name several.

Ennis started boxing when he was fifteen years old and went 58-3 in the amateurs, capping his career by becoming the 2015 US National Golden Gloves champion. After just missing out on the 2016 Olympics team, he turned professional at age 18.

Brothers Derek (24-5) and Farah Ennis (22-2) won regional title belts and fought on national television as professionals. Derek now helps guide Jaron’s career along with father and team chief Derek Sr.

“I just go out there and have fun and do what I gotta do to get the win,” Ennis said. “It’s how I am in all my fights, I go out there and have fun.” Indeed, Boots is very loose before a fight and sometimes showboats playing to the crowd. In this connection, promoter Chris Middendorf recently told Philly.com, “The fights are going to get tougher — he’s going to be pushed to go the distance. He’s not going to have time to play any games.” Nevertheless, Jaron Ennis hasn’t gone beyond six rounds yet.

As he puts it, “I get in and get out like a robbery.”

Gary Antuanne Russell

Meanwhile, another rising star from a boxing family, Gary Antuanne Russell out of Capital Heights, Maryland, has won all seven of his pro fights, winning all by stoppage  with five coming in the opening round.  The younger brother of World Boxing Council featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr, he was a 2014 National Golden Gloves Champion and 2016 US Olympian. However, what makes his amateur record especially interesting is that he went 2-1 against Jaron Ennis in the 2016 Olympic trials, winning the rubber match by a questionable decision.

Russell currently competes as a junior welterweight, one weight class down from Jaron Ennis, but the ingredients are beginning to fall in place for a super mid-Atlantic fight down the road. Both are highly skilled, have a great work ethic, and are ring savvy.

Ted Sares is one of the world’s oldest active power lifters and Strongman competitors. He is a lifetime member of Ring 10, and a member of Ring 4 and its Boxing Hall of Fame. He also is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).

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