One of the fastest-rising stars in boxing, Jaron Ennis has been praised by those all over the sport. From media to fans, the 25-year-old has made waves within the welterweight division.
It appears he is just getting started.
Ennis (30-0) will defend the interim IBF welterweight title against Roiman Villa on July 8. In the main event, Ennis competes inside Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The fight airs on Showtime in the U.S. If he were to win, he could faces the winner of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford on July 29.
Nicknamed “Boots,” the man with 27 wins via knockout is looking to steal the show. Here is all you need to know about Ennis, including how he got his nickname.
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Jaron Ennis record, bio
Ennis started boxing after seeing his brother fight in front of a live crowd in Philadelphia. He fell in love with the sport as a result.
“It was a big inspiration because when they was fighting at Philly, and I was seeing the atmosphere with the crowd cheering them on, I’m like I want this for myself,” Ennis told FanSided. “Once they started fighting on T.V., I’m like I can’t wait to fight on T.V. It gave me more motivation to be who I am now. I thank my brothers for that.”
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A 2014 silver and 2015 gold Golden Gloves medalist, Ennis made his pro debut in 2016. He fought six times that year and nine times in 2017. In 2018 he won the WBC-USNBC Silver welterweight title against Armando Alvarez. Ennis and Chris van Heerden fought to a no-contest for the IBO welterweight title in 2020. The latter suffered a cut from an accidental head clash during the fight.
From there, Ennis won three straight fights via knockout. His last fight was a unanimous decision win in January against Karen Chukhadzhian to become the interim IBF welterweight champion.
Why is Jaron Ennis nicknamed “Boots?”
In an interview with FanSided, Ennis stated that his nickname originally was "Boops" by his mother. However, inside the boxing gym at a young age, the name was mistaken as “Boots.” He gives credit to Derrick “Bozy” Ennis, his father and trainer.
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“Once I started going to the gym when I was little, my dad was calling my name, and everybody thought my dad was saying "Boots,” like the shoes. So we just kept it and stuck with it,” Ennis stated.
Jaron Ennis' net worth
Per Players Wiki and Popular Net Worth, Ennis' net worth is around $250,000.
Comparing him to other stars in the welterweight division, per Celebrity Net Worth, Errol Spence Jr. has a net worth of around $7 million. Terence Crawford has a net worth of $8 million.