The Philadelphia boxer nicknamed Boots, touted as a future pound-for-pound No 1, carries sky-high expectations and an unfinished family legacy into the biggest fight of his life
Bozy’s Dungeon never had a fixed address. For years it was tucked two blocks from the clattering El train in North Philadelphia, past strips of weathered rowhouses and corner stores. These days it sits in a quiet residential stretch of the Great Northeast. The location and sign on the door might change, but inside, it’s always the same: a temple of toughness and repetition, where talk is cheap and fighters are made brick by brick, round after round. The ring is sacred, the rules unwritten but understood: work, wait, and one day, your shot will come. For Jaron Ennis, the amply gifted welterweight from Philly known as Boots, that day arrives Saturday night.
Ennis, the International Boxing Federation’s champion at 147lb, unbeaten over 33 professional fights with 29 wins inside the distance, will put it all on the line under the vaulted ceilings of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall against Eimantas Stanionis, a rugged, come-forward brawler from Lithuania who holds the World Boxing Association’s version of the title. For Ennis, it’s more than a unification bout. It’s a prime opportunity to shed the perception that, despite his immaculate record and world champion status, he remains a fighter on the cusp rather than one firmly established at the top.
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