“Boots” Ennis Crushes Dulorme; Butaev TKOs Jamal James at Mandalay Bay

Las Vegas — SHOWTIME was at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas tonight with an entertaining seven-fight card that served the dual purpose of providing the network another opportunity to promote next Saturday’s pay-per-view extravaganza between Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. An intriguing welterweight contest between Jamal James and Radzhab Butaev topped the bill, but many that tuned in were undoubtedly more interested in getting a closer look at Jaron “Boots” Ennis, an emerging force in an interesting welterweight division.

Ennis (28-0, 26 KOs) proved that he was the real deal. He finished off his opponent Thomas Dulorme in the first round, scoring two knockdowns in the process. He scored the first knockdown with a chopping right hand. Dulorme, who was 25-5-1 heading in, beat the count but his legs were unsteady. The second knockdown was the result of a left-right-left combination. Referee Mike Ortega waived the fight off as Dulorme was struggling to get back on his feet.

After the bout, as he was being interviewed in the ring, Ennis called out every notable welterweight. And with apologies to Terence Crawford, this knockout artist from a prominent Philadelphia fighting family, just may be the best welterweight out there right now.

James-Butaev

Radzhab Butaev won a share of the WBA welterweight title (Yordenis Ugas holds the other piece) with a ninth-round stoppage of Jamal James. Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) closed a very slight favorite and rewarded his backers while staying undefeated (sort of; he  lost a 12-round unanimous decision to countryman Alexander Besputin in Monte Carlo but the verdict was changed to a “no decision” when Besputin tested positive for banned PEDs).

Butaev is a mauler who pays little heed to the Queensberry code. After drawing warnings for hitting behind the head and other infractions, he was deducted a point in round five. But that proved to be a moot point. His game plan was to smother James and he did his best work when he had James pinned against the ropes. The official time was 2:12 of round nine.

In the TV opener, lightweight Michel Rivera, a 23-year-old Miami-based Dominican, stayed unbeaten with a lopsided 10-round decision over Argentina’s Jose Matias Romero (24-2). Rivera scored a flash knockdown in the opening round when Romero took a knee after absorbing a short left hook and then won every round on all three scorecards.

Rivera patterns himself after Muhammad Ali and sported Ali’s name on his retro white trunks. He facially resembles a young Ali and moves around the ring like Ali when boxing on the retreat, but needs to work on getting better leverage on his punches. Although he pitched a shutout, advancing his record to 22-0 (14), he really wasn’t all that impressive.

Other Bouts of Note

In the last of the non-televised fights, an 8-round welterweight affair, Argentine southpaw Alberto Palmetta won his 11^th straight by dint of a split decision over Columbia’s Yeis Gabriel Solano. This was a good action fight fought at close quarters. Palmetta’s superior body punching won over the two of the judges who had it 79-73 and 78-74. The dissenter, Dave Moretti, had it 77-75 for Solano.

A 2016 Olympian, Palmetta improved to 17-1 (12). It was the second straight loss for Solano after opening his career with 16 straight wins.

In his first fight back since suffering a serious knee injury that resulted in his first pro loss, junior welterweight Darwin Price stopped Jean Carlos Torres who was pulled out by the ring physician after six feisty but largely one-sided rounds. A St. Louis native who trains out of Houston and holds a degree from Grambling where he was a track star as a long-distance runner, Price improved to 18-1 (11). It was the first pro loss for Torres (19-1), a 31-year-old Puerto Rican who had won his last eight fights inside the distance with none of his opponents lasting beyond the fifth round.

Photo credit: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

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