By Sean Jones: IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) faces arguably the toughest test of his young seven-year professional
Joe Smith Jr. did not take the path of least resistance to reach his second shot at a light heavyweight world title. As he prepares to step into the ring on Saturday against Maxim Vlasov at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma (10 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN+), with the vacant WBO belt on the line, Smith has been through the spectrum of the highs and lows that come with championship-level boxing.
After getting knocked out in his seventh professional fight back in 2010, Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) rattled off 15 wins over the next five years in the leadup to two victories that changed his career a first-round TKO win over Andrzej Fonfara, followed by a KO of Bernard Hopkins in which Smith knocked Hopkins out of the ring and ended his career with one punch. Smith was an underdog in both of those fights, and he d continue to carry that tag as the fights got even bigger.
Showtime’s back on Saturday night with a tripleheader from Connecticut, which may wind up being their last show in the Mohegan bubble.
In the main event, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (26-0, 24 KO) takes on Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KO), and the welterweight co-feature sees Eimantas Stanionis (12-0, 9 KO) face Thomas Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KO).
We’ve got picks in for both of those fights!
(
Note:
We didn’t make picks for the Jerwin Ancajas vs Jonathan Rodriguez fight because there is basically no useful footage on Rodriguez. - Scott)
Eimantas Stanionis vs Thomas Dulorme
Scott Christ (18-6-1)
I like Stanionis, in part because he’s still 26, hasn’t sort of gotten up into his late 20s, early 30s without stepping up. He believes he’s ready, his team believe he’s ready, so here he’s got Dulorme. Dulorme’s a solid fighter, never became what was once hoped of him, never gotten over the hump, and I think he falls short here, too.