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Mike CoppingerESPN
Jaron “Boots” Ennis, one of boxing’s fastest-rising stars, is set for his second fight of 2021.
Ennis and Thomas Dulorme have verbally agreed to fight each other in a 12-round Showtime main event, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday. The two dates being considered for the welterweight bout are Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, sources said.
They were set to square off last December before Dulorme tested positive for COVID-19.
Ennis, ESPN’s No. 7 welterweight, has the look of a future champion — a blend of ring smarts, speed, power and skills. The 24-year-old Philadelphian scored the biggest win of his career in April with a sixth-round TKO of former champion Sergey Lipinets.
Along with Vergil Ortiz and Eimantas Stanionis, Ennis is among the new crop at 147 pounds, boxing’s most talent-laden weight class.
Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) is a step back in opposition compared to Lipinets but will easily be the second-stiffest test of Ennis’ career.
Dulorme, 31, has won just one of his past five fights and is reeling from back-to-back losses to Jamal James and Stanionsis. The Puerto Rican fighter has proved durable, though, with those defeats coming via 12-round decision along with a draw against Jessie Vargas. He was stopped by Terence Crawford in 2015 and also in 2012 against Luis Carlos Abregu.
BoxingScene first reported the news of the agreement.