Jaron Ennis didn’t get much of a chance to show off his ability.
Ennis, a fast-rising welterweight contender, was giving Chris van Heerden a shellacking in the opening round of their fight on the Emmanuel Rodriguez-Reymart Gaballo card Saturday in Uncasville, Conn, when disaster struck.
The fighters’ heads collided violently with about 20 seconds remaining in the round, causing a ghastly cut on van Heerden’s forehead.
The referee stopped the action, the ring doctor took a look and the fight was stopped immediately. The official time was 2:39. It was ruled a no-decision because the cut resulted from an accidental headbutt.
Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) looked formidable for 2½ minutes, fighting mostly from a southpaw stance. The uber-quick, powerful Philadelphian landed punishing shots from a variety of angles and to all legal targets.
Van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs) tried to stand his ground and fight back but he seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed by Ennis’ attack.
Then came the end. Ennis missed a straight left with van Heerden’s back against the ropes. Van Heerden reacted by lunging forward in an attempt to throw a right hand.
That’s when their heads collided. They both brought a glove to their heads and were experienced pain. However, only Van Heerden was cut.
Ennis had hoped to make a big statement, which he believed would lead to a matchup with one of the big-name 147-pounders. Obviously, that could still happen.
However, no one was happy about the way the fight ended on Saturday.
“My head is good,” Ennis said. “I don’t know quite what to say, but I feel good. Before the headbutt I had already cut him. I felt strong. I knew he was ready to go. I feel like I’m getting better and better. Now I’ll just get back in the gym.
“As you could see from the first round, I was handling him easily. I feel like everyone is still sleeping on me, but I’m ready for anyone. Bring on the big names.
“At the end of the day it’s boxing and you have to live with it when stuff like this happens. I’m ready to step up against even better competition than Chris van Heerden.
“I was putting it on him and I was getting ready to dig to the body and he came right at me and we headbutted. I could get back in the ring tomorrow. I’m ready. I’m just disappointed right now.
“Anybody in the Top 5, I’m ready for them. I’m hungry and it’s my time in 2021. I will become world champion.”
