American knockout artist Jaron Ennis says he'll target boxing's top welterweights after winning his April 10 fight

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American knockout artist Jaron Ennis says he'll target boxing's top welterweights after winning his April 10 fight
Jaron Ennis.Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images
  • Jaron Ennis has vowed to knockout Saturday opponent Sergey Lipinets.
  • He told Insider that he'd then target some of the top fighters in his division.
  • Ennis said he won't rest until he's won all belts at welterweight, super welterweight, and middleweight.
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American knockout artist Jaron Ennis will target boxing's top welterweights after his April 10 fight against Sergey Lipinets at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The 23-year-old, who is one of the most thunderous punchers in the fight game, is ready to burst into the mainstream having knocked out 24 of his 27 opponents to date.

And he told Insider recently that his weekend opponent Lipinets will be the 25th.

"He don't bring no problems to me," Ennis said of Lipinets, a Russian fighter who trains in California, has a good reputation in the sport, and has been in the ring with Mikey Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

"We all know he's going to come forward to me with no head movement - that's his style. But that's perfect because it plays into my style, and it will just be one long night for him.

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"I feel like when I do my thing April 10, when I dominate and get the knockout, [I'll fight] anybody and everybody after this. A top-5 opponent, a former world champion, a champion … whatever, I'm right there."

Ennis has been on a hot streak throughout the developmental stage of his pro career, flooring almost everyone he's ever fought.

A run of 16 straight knockouts was brought to an end in his last bout - a December showdown against Chris van Heerden on the Showtime network - when a clash of heads yielded a no contest.

"At the end of the day, it's boxing. Things happen," Ennis told Insider, seemingly unfazed. "If you go back and watch the tape, 20 seconds before - he headbutted me.

"That last one was intentional, he was just waiting for me to come in a little closer and bumped heads."

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Ennis claimed van Heerden knew a finish was coming and wanted to find a way out of the match, before ending up with a concussion.

"He knew it was getting hot, and he knew I was going to knock him out. I feel like he was trying to find a way out - and he did.

"I think I was going to stop him in the next round, or he was going to quit. It was just a different way for him to get out. He got lucky."

Ennis wants all of the belts in 3 of boxing's weight classes

American knockout artist Jaron Ennis says he'll target boxing's top welterweights after winning his April 10 fight
Photo by Showtime

Van Heerden represented the biggest challenge of his career at that point, but fighting Lipinets this weekend is another step-up in class for Ennis.

He sees no problems in putting Lipinets on his back though, and wants to then fight one of a trio of Premier Boxing Champions 147-pounders - Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas, or Danny Garcia.

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"I feel after this fight you could see me against any of those guys," Ennis told us. "Whichever one of them wants to sign up, I'll take that fight."

Ennis won't stop there, he said, sharing plans to hunt titleholders like Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., unify all of the belts in the division, and then repeat the process at super welterweight and middleweight.

"I'll keep continuing at this weight until I get all of the belts, then I'll move up and do the same thing at 154-pounds, and then again at 160-pounds."

Ennis fights Lipinets on Showtime in a boxing event that also features super prospect Eimantas Stanionis take on Thomas Dulorme.

The network begins broadcasting at 9 p.m. ET.

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