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- Who: Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa
- What: Ennis’ IBF interim welterweight title
- Date: Saturday, July 8, 2023
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
- How to Watch: Showtime
A young rising boxing star from Philadelphia, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, puts his IBF interim welterweight title on the line in Atlantic City on July 8 in a Showtime boxing event when he faces Roiman Villa. Ennis won the vacant IBF interim welterweight title in January when he scored a unanimous decision victory over Karen Chukhadzhian. Here is some background on the fighters before we discuss the betting breakdown of their upcoming matchup.
The 25-year-old Ennis sports a 30-0-0-1 record with 27 knockout wins. Before his decision win over Chukhadzhian, Ennis was on a run of three straight knockout wins. The Ring has Ennis rated as the No. 3 fighter in the welterweight division. He trails Errol Spence and Terence Crawford in those ratings.
Roiman Villa is 30. He hails from Columbia and sports a 26-1 record with 24 knockout wins. His most recent bout was a majority decision win over Rashidi Ellis in January. He is the No. 10 rated fighter at welterweight, according to The Ring.
Before we look at the welterweight fight between Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa, check out the best boxing betting sites, where you can find the best boxing picks.
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |  |
| Jaron Ennis | -1250 | -2000 | -2000 | -2500 |
| Roiman Villa | +700 | +900 | +850 | +738 |
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa betting breakdown
Ennis is a highly touted prospect in the welterweight division, and he is expected to one day become a champion at 147 pounds. However, he is coming off a so-so performance in his last fight. While he won that bout, he did so in a way that reduced some of the hype surrounding him before the event. This matchup opposite Roiman Villa allows him to put some shine back on his name.
For a fighter who has been praised for his boxing IQ, Ennis got away from that in his win over Chukhadzhian. He lunged in with his punches, and put himself in bad positions that would have allowed a better boxer to score with counters. He also used sloppy footwork that put himself off balance.
At his best, Ennis uses his athleticism and speed to dominate his opponents. He has a good jab and an ability to set the pace and the location of the fight.
There’s a chance that the Chukhadzhian fight was an off night for Ennis, but if he has another off night against a power puncher like Villa, he could find himself in trouble. Remember, Villa is coming off a big upset win over the previously unbeaten Rashidi Ellis. Ellis closed as a -704 favorite in that matchup.
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa who has the edge?
There’s little doubt that Jaron Ennis is the more talented boxer of the two. There’s also no question that Roiman Villa is a serious puncher with little to lose in this matchup. Villa is coming off two upset wins over two previously undefeated opponents. He is a much bigger underdog in this matchup than in those scraps, but if Ennis takes Villa lightly or gives him the opportunity to land flush, we could see a third consecutive upset win for Villa.
Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa what’s at stake
Ennis had hoped to get a title shot after his last win, but with the Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford bout not happening until July 29, he could not wait on that fight. There’s a shot that the winner of this scrap could face the victor of Spence vs. Crawford. However, there’s also the chance that the winner of that title unification bout vacates their belts and moves up a division. In that case, the winner of Ennis vs. Villa could be matched up against the loser of Spence vs. Crawford.
Best Bets for Jaron Ennis vs. Roiman Villa
Villa is a monster underdog, but he proved the oddsmakers wrong in his last two outings. With that, a good value bet would be a small wager on Villa to win. There’s also value in picking Villa to win via knockout. However, I don’t think those are the best bets for the Ennis vs. Villa matchup. No, Ennis will be ready for this fight, and he will take it seriously, Don’t expect him to have another off night here. The best bet for this contest is to pick Ennis to win, and my betting prediction is that he gets things done via unanimous decision.
Best betting pick: Jaron Ennis to beat Roiman Villa by decision.
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