Plus Undefeated Jonathan Rodriguez, Julian Gonzalez, Quadir
Albright, LeAnna Cruz and James Bernadin
Bethlehem, PA (February 11, 2022)–Super Middleweights Devar Ferhadi and Khainell Wheeler will appear in the eight-round headline bout of a King’s Promotions card at the Wind Creek Bethlehem Events Center on Friday night, March 11th.
The eight-bout card is promoted by King’s Promotions.
Ferhadi, 27 years-old of Frederick, Maryland via Iraq is 9-0 with seven knockouts. The 10 year veteran has a win over undefeated Vincent Baccus (4-0-1). In his last bout, Ferhadi took an eight-round unanimous decision over Blake Mansfield on June 5, 2021 in Philadelphia.
Wheeler, 28 years-old of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has a record of 6-1 with five knockouts. The three-year pro is coming off his career best win as he took a six-round split decision over previously undefeated Frederick Julan (12-0) on December 2, 2021 in New York City.
In the eight-round co-feature, Kenny Robles battles Naim Nelson in a junior welterweight contest.
Robles, 30 years-old of Staten Island, New York, has a record of 8-1 with three knockouts. The five-year pro has a win over previously undefeated Shawn West (3-0), and his last outing when he won a six-round unanimous decision over Isaac Luna on March 19, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Nelson, 31 years-old, of Philadelphia is 14-5 with one knockout. The 11 year-professional has wins over Korey Sloane (1-0), Esteban Rodriguez (5-1-1) and Jerome Rodriguez (6-0-3). Nelson is coming off a 4th round stoppage defeated to undefeated Jesus Ramos on December 26, 2020 in Los Angeles.
In a six-round bout, undefeated James Bernadin (5-0, 3 KOs) of Lancaster, PA takes on tough Kevin Asmat (6-2, 5 KOs) of North Bergen, NJ.
The 29 year-old Bernadin has been on a roll as in his last two fights, he has wins over Osvaldo Morales (4-0) and a first-round stoppage of Edgar Torres (8-2-1).
Asmat, 27 years-old, has a win over Ernesto Ornelas (1-0). He is on a three-fight win streak, with his latest win being a third-round stoppage over Weusi Johnson on June 22, 2019 in Philadelphia,
In six-round bouts:
Jonathan Rodriguez (9-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia takes on Jose Flores Chavez (9-13, 5 KOs) of Baja, Mexico in a bantamweight contest. Julian Gonzalez (5-0, 5 KOs) of Reading, PA takes on an opponent to be named in a junior lightweight fight. Quadir Albright (4-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia battles Antonio Wattell (3-8-3, 2 KOs) of Houston, Texas in a junior welterweight affair.
In four-round bouts:
LeAnna Cruz (1-0) of Bethlehem, PA will square off with Anyela Lopez (2-1-1, 1 KO) of Tucson, AZ in a bantamweight bout. Thanjae Teasley of Bethlehem, PA and Ajoola Oladeinde of La Plata, MD in a welterweight fight of pro debuter’s.
Welterweight Prospect Eimantas Stanionis Notches Unanimous Decision Over Thomas Dulorme in WBA Title Eliminator; IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion Jerwin Ancajas Defends Title Against Jonathan Rodríguez in Televised Opener SHOWTIME®in Premier Boxing Champions Event Click HERE for Photos from Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME (Photos will be uploaded shortly) Click Here to Watch Jaron Ennis’ Sixth-Round Knockout UNCASVILLE, Conn. – April 10, 2021 – Rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis aced the toughest test of his professional career with a sensational sixth-round knockout win over former world champion Sergey Lipinets in the main event on Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, live on SHOWTIME from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
The win puts Philadelphia’s Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) one step closer to his first world title opportunity as he dismantled the former 140-pound world champion over six rounds of their welterweight battle. As he has done often throughout his career, the 23-year-old switched effortlessly between an orthodox and southpaw stance and exhibited tremendous power from both sides. Ennis finished the fight with an eye-popping 53% connect rate on his power punches and out-landed Lipinets 91 to 48.
“I’ll always be hard on myself when I look back at my performance,” said Ennis. “My goal is to keep getting better, sharper, faster and stronger so I can become world champion. As long as I keep fighting top guys, I’m happy. I feel like I will be world champion by the end of this year or beginning of next year. Patience is the key though.”
The 32-year-old Joe Goossen-trained Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KOs) of Woodland Hills, Calif., showed determination in weathering the onslaught of combinations from Ennis. An uppercut floored the Kazakhstan-born Lipinets and sent him to the canvas for the second time in his professional career in the fourth round. Prior to tonight, Lipinets had only been down in his other professional loss which came at the hands of four-division world champion Mikey Garcia.
“Lipinets has been in there with the best before, so I wasn’t surprised he held up for a while,” added Ennis. “I knew he’d be durable. That’s why I didn’t jump on the gas right away. I just took my time and broke him down.”
In the sixth round, Ennis poured it on Lipinets from all angles as he beautifully assembled combinations. The budding superstar has yet to go past the sixth round in his professional career as he has amassed a remarkable 89% knockout ratio. Ennis was up 49-45 on two scorecards and 50-44 on the final judges’ card prior to the right hook to left uppercut combination that resulted in the fight being stopped at 2:11 of round six. Saturday night marked Ennis’ first time headlining SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
“I think I graduated tonight,” stated Ennis. “It’s on the up and up now. It’s onto bigger and better fights now.”
In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, a pair of hard-hitting welterweights went toe-to-toe as Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) beat former world title challengerThomas Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) via unanimous decision in a WBA Welterweight Title Eliminator. This was the most difficult challenge of the rising 26-year-old’s career as Dulorme took him past the ninth round for the first time. The three ringside judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.
“It’s been a dream since I was a kid watching SHOWTIME to be on this stage,” said Stanionis. “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I’ve had a long hard journey to get here, but it’s been worth it.”
The two fighters combined for nearly 1,400 punches in their exciting welterweight battle. Stanionis outlanded the 31-year-old Dulorme 232 to 193 and edged his opponent with higher connection percentages across the board. Most notably, Stanionis worked well behind his powerful jab, landing 123 total throughout the 12-round fight.
“Dulorme always threw back at me, even if I hurt him,” stated Stanionis, who is one step closer to becoming Lithuania’s first world champion. “I knew that if I was wild, he could have caught me with a good shot. I have more confidence in myself now because I know I can go 12 rounds with a good fighter. I know how the pressure will hit me now. Anything can happen in this sport, so I made sure I was prepared coming into this fight.”
In the 10th round, a nasty cut opened above the left eye of Dulorme which was ruled by referee Harvey Dock to have resulted from a punch. The fight came to a fantastic finish as the Lithuanian prospect went for the knockout in the 12th round but the veteran Dulorme did not subdue to the pressure.
In the telecast opener, IBF Junior Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (31-1-2, 22 KOs) successfully defended his title for the ninth time with a unanimous decision victory over Jonathan Rodríguez (21-2, 16 KOs) in an action-packed 12-round affair. The victory extends Ancajas’ streak of consecutive title defenses to nine, which marks the most of any current world champion. Fighting out of the Philippines, the 29-year-old controlled the pace of the fight with a consistent dedication to the body, where he landed 131 of his 232 total punches.
“I’m very happy to get the win. I waited a long time for the opportunity to get back in the ring and it’s exciting to win in my first fight on this stage fighting on SHOWTIME,” said Ancajas. “This was my toughest fight so far. It was the hardest of any of my nine defenses and it’s exciting that it was on a big card. I trained hard for this opportunity and it feels great to get the win.”
The title fight featured back-and-forth action with Mexico’s Rodriguez pressuring and baiting the champion to fight him at close distance. At the end of the eighth round, Ancajas finished a flurry of punches with a huge right hand that sent Rodriguez to the canvas for the first time in his career.
“I thought he was going to be stopped because I saw him look at his corner and it didn’t look like he wanted to go on,” continued Ancajas. “But he got up and fought and I respect him for doing that.”
The ringside judges scored the fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 for Ancajas, while unofficial ringside scorer Steve Farhood tallied the fight at 114-113. Farhood agreed with the three official judges in giving the final three rounds to Rodriguez. Despite dropping the decision, the 25-year-old Rodriguez impressed fight fans with his tremendous determination and high-level skill in his first world title fight and U.S. debut.
“I don’t think it was a just decision,” said Rodriguez. “I thought maybe a split decision, and I would accept it a little more. But we knew coming in that the judges were against us in this fight.”
On Friday night, BELLATOR on SHOWTIME took center stage at Mohegan Sun Arena with the first fight of the BELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix that saw current heavyweight champion Ryan Bader avenge his 2012 loss to Lyoto Machida with a dominating unanimous decision to move onto the next round. Bader made an appearance on Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast to reflect on his impressive victory.
“It was very sweet [to get revenge]. It was a gauge to see how far I’ve grown, since 2012. And I’ve done a lot, and he’s done a lot. So to go out there and implement my game plan and stick to what we do and go out there and be victorious, it couldn’t be sweeter.”
Saturday’sSHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXINGtelecast will replay Sunday, April 11 at 9 a.m. ET/PT and Tuesday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET on SHOWTIME EXTREME.
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosted the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo handled blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Hall of Famers rounded out the telecast team: ringside reporter Jim Gray, boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer, and world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. The executive producer was four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The telecast was produced by Raymond Smaltz and directed by Chuck McKean. Former junior middleweight world champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna served as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).
The event was promoted by TGB Promotions. Ennis vs. Lipinets was promoted in association with D&D Boxing.
“I’m coming there to take a win home to Philadelphia and look good doing it, by any means,” – Ennis Rising Welterweight Star Ennis Battles Former World Champion Sergey Lipinets Saturday, April 10 Live On SHOWTIME® in a Premier Boxing Champions Event Click HERE for Photos from Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME
PHILADELPHIA (April 1, 2021) – Undefeated welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis will look to cement his status as a rising star in the welterweight division when he takes on rugged former world champion Sergey Lipinets in a 12-round battle that headlines action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, April 10 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
The 23-year-old Ennis will be facing the toughest competition of his career in Lipinets, as he enters the ring in his first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING main event. Representing the fighting city of Philadelphia, Ennis has used sublime boxing skills and power in both hands to make his claim as the city’s next great champion.
Ennis put together a 16-fight knockout streak that included becoming the first person to stop Juan Carlos Abreu when he blasted out the longtime challenger in the sixth round in August 2020. Ennis was unable to extend that streak in December 2020, when his fight against Chris van Heerden was declared a no-contest after round one due to a clash of heads causing a severe cut on Van Heerden’s forehead.
Trained by his father Bozy Ennis, Ennis shared his thoughts on training camp, Lipinets and more below:
On headlining his first Showtime Championship Boxing card:
“It has made my schedule a little crazier. Being in the main event on SHOWTIME brings more attention, but I like it. I like being in the spotlight. I like to shine, so it’s nothing new to me. Now it’s fight time. I am locked in and ready to rock and roll.”
On training camp:
“We always do four-minute rounds in camp. I’ve been doing that since I was a baby. That’s another reason why I don’t sit down when I fight, because I am so used to the four-minute rounds. The three-minute rounds go by real fast on fight night. One thing we added this camp was the underwater treadmill work.”
On his final preparations:
“The week before the fight, we are winding it down and sharpening up. It’s been a great training camp. I have been getting better and better each and every day, and I can’t wait to perform next Saturday.” On facing his first former world champion:
“He’s a good fighter, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s just another day in the office. He’s a regular person just like anyone else.”
On Sergey calling him a ‘typical Philly fighter’:
“I guess he knows I’m tough, gritty and I’m ready to rumble. I’m coming there to take a win home to Philadelphia and look good doing it, by any means.”
On his knockout power:
“I don’t think I have my man strength yet. I feel it will be one or two more years until I fully have my man strength. The crazy part is, I feel like in a fight, I still haven’t thrown a real power shot and really sat down on a punch yet. Everything I’ve been knocking guys out with has been all natural strength.”
On how he views his knockout streak:
“Some people might look at a knockout on April 10 as the 17th consecutive knockout, some might view it as the start of a new knockout streak. For me, I don’t really care as long as I come out victorious. That’s all that matters to me. I’m not looking for a knockout but I’m going to take it if it comes.”
# # #
ABOUT ENNIS VS. LIPINETS Ennis vs. Lipinets will see rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis face former world champion Sergey Lipinets in a 12-round showdown headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, April 10 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, a pair of hard-hitting welterweights square off as Eimantas Stanionis takes on former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme in a 12-round WBA Welterweight Title Eliminator. The telecast opener features IBF Junior Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas defending his title against Jonathan Rodríguez in a 12-round bout.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions. Ennis vs. Lipinets is promoted in association with D&D Boxing. For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.
Hard-Hitting Welterweights Eimantas Stanionis and Thomas Dulorme Duel in WBA Title Eliminator; IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion Jerwin Ancajas Defends Title Against Jonathan Rodríguez in Televised Opener
NEW YORK – March 17, 2021 – Rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis faces his most difficult test in pursuit of a world title shot as he headlines his first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® against former world champion Sergey Lipinets. These formidable contenders meet in a 12-round, crossroads fight with welterweight world title implications on Saturday, April 10 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in a Premier Boxing Champions event.
In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, a pair of hard-hitting welterweights square off as Eimantas Stanionis takes another step up in class as he faces former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme in a 12-round WBA Welterweight Title Eliminator. The telecast opener features IBF Junior Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas defending his title against Jonathan Rodríguez in a 12-round bout.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions. Ennis vs. Lipinets is promoted in association with D&D Boxing.
“Ennis vs. Lipinets is a fantastic fight in the welterweight division that pits an ascending force in Ennis against a former world champion in Lipinets,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “It’s a very competitive fight that presents a fascinating clash of styles and will have big implications on the future of the 147-pound division. Another sensational young welterweight will look for a career best win in the co-feature, as Eimantas Stanionis takes on his toughest test to date in the veteran Thomas Dulorme. Adding in 115-pound champion Jerwin Ancajas seeking an impressive ninth title defense against Mexico’s Jonathan Rodríguez, and all the ingredients are in place for an action-packed night on SHOWTIME April 10.”
Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) is the latest in the pantheon of outstanding Philadelphia fighters, combining sublime boxing skills with natural power in both hands. After numerous appearances on ShoBox: The New Generation, the 23-year-old Ennis has graduated to headlining his first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast. Heading into his last bout against Chris van Heerden, Ennis was riding a streak of 16 consecutive knockouts. That streak ended when the fight was stopped after the first round due to an accidental clash of heads that opened a severe cut on the forehead of Van Heerden.
“I’m excited to be back April 10,” said Ennis. “This is the type of fight I’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait to perform and put on a beautiful show. Y’all will see something special out of me come fight night. I’m excited to be the main event. It’s time for me to shine!”
The 31-year-old Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KOs) established himself as a force at 140 pounds when he won the IBF world title with a victory over Akihiro Kondo in 2017. He lost the title to four-division world champion Mikey Garcia in 2018 and then moved up to welterweight in 2019. He served notice that he would be a contender at welterweight when he scored an impressive stoppage victory over two-division champion Lamont Peterson in 2019. Born in Kazakhstan and representing Russia, Lipinets now lives in Woodland Hills, California and is trained by renowned trainer Joe Goossen. Lipinets is coming off a hard-fought majority draw against undefeated Custio Clayton in October 2020.
“Training is grueling and I’m working hard with Joe Goossen to be at my best on fight night,” said Lipinets. “We have a tough, young fighter in Ennis who thinks I’m a stepping stone for him. But sometimes stepping stones trip you up, and I’ll be doing my best to trip him up on April 10. I’m just doing my best to get prepared for what I expect to be a dog fight. Every fan that knows boxing knows that this is going to be a real war and worth tuning in for. I expect we’ll be fighting in a phone booth at times, but I also expect him to try to use his reach and fight me at a distance at times. But no matter what he does, I’ll be ready for him.”
Stanionis (12-0, 9 KOs) has put together a string of impressive victories as he has climbed up the ranks from prospect to contender. He enters the match against Dulorme with four consecutive knockout victories. The 26-year-old from Lithuania, who now lives and trains in California, looked impressive as he picked up three solid victories in 2019, beating Samuel Figueroa via unanimous decision and scoring early stoppages against Julio Cesar Sanchez and Evincii Dixon. The undefeated welterweight has put the division on notice with back-to-back dominating main event performances in November and December 2020, when he notched ninth-round knockouts over Justin DeLoach and Janer Gonzalez respectively.
“This is my first time fighting on SHOWTIME and it feels like a dream come true,” said Stanionis. “Dulorme is experienced and has been a good fighter for a long time. On paper, this is my toughest fight, but I’m ready. I’ll be prepared for whatever he brings. With our styles, it’s going to be a war. I’m ready to fight right now. Somebody is going down and no matter what happens, the fans are going to win.”
The 31-year-old Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KOs) has amassed a solid resume at 140 and 147 pounds during his career, climbing into the ring with world champions Yordenis Ugas, Jessie Vargas and Terence Crawford. Born in Marigot, Guadeloupe but fighting out of and representing Carolina, Puerto Rico, Dulorme rebounded from a loss to Crawford for a 140-pound title by scoring back-to-back knockouts, followed by a narrow decision loss to top welterweight Yordenis Ugas. The world title challenger is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jamal James in his last fight in August.
“I’m very excited for this fight on April 10,” said Dulorme. “I came up short in my last fight for the title, but a win against Stanionis will put me right back into the position I want. He’s young and strong, but I have a lot more experience and I will show it in the ring and it will lead me to victory.”
Representing the Philippines, Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs) was only 15 years old when he was spotted by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. The young fighter blossomed with Pacquiao’s guidance, becoming the first world champion under Pacquiao’s promotional banner when he outpointed McJoe Arroyo for the IBF World Junior Bantamweight title in September 2016. The 29-year-old southpaw hasn’t lost since and will be making the ninth defense of his title when he faces Rodríguez. In his most recent outing in December, Ancajas stopped Miguel Gonzalez in six rounds.
“I am really looking forward to returning to the ring on April 10 for my first fight on SHOWTIME,” said Ancajas. “Everybody knows the great rivalry between the Philippines and Mexico, and I look forward to adding another explosive fight to that history. Fight fans know where all the action fights are right now, and that’s the 115-pound division. I’m thankful for this opportunity and I plan to make the most of it.”
Mexico’s Rodríguez (22-1, 16 KOs) was given the nickname “Titan” because of his prodigious power. Since suffering a disputed split-decision loss to Jose Martin Estrada Garcia in March 2018, the 25-year-old has won six straight, including a first-round knockout victory over Julian Yedras last December. He will be making his U.S. debut against Ancajas.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” said Rodríguez. “When I started boxing, it was my dream to fight for the world title and win it. On April 10, all of my dreams and hard work will come true when I hear ‘and the new IBF champion of the world.’”
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosts the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo handles blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Hall of Famers round out the telecast team: ringside reporter Jim Gray, boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer, and world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. The executive producer is four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The telecast will be produced by Raymond Smaltz and directed by Chuck McKean. Former junior middleweight world champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna serve as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).
