Philly’s Jaron Ennis isn’t holding his breath for a shot at welterweight champion Errol Spence

Jaron Ennis was less than an hour removed from delivering another signature knockout in May 2022 when he found a seat in the front row to watch the night’s main event. A few seats down was Errol Spence, whom Ennis earlier taunted from the ring by casting a fishing rod — Spence calls himself the “big fish” of the welterweight division — as if he wanted to reel the champ in. And now it was time for Ennis’ father to throw a jab.

“I was playing with him and I said, ‘Spence, you’re my man. But we’re coming for your [butt],’” said Bozy Ennis, who also trains his son. “He started laughing and was like, ‘Nah.’”

Ennis — who fights Saturday night on Showtime at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City against Roiman Villa — is the IBF’s interim welterweight champion, which makes him the No. 1 contender for Spence. The 26-year-old from Germantown could be the next star of the 147-pound division, and “Boots” and his father have not been shy about their desire to face Spence, one of boxing’s top draws.

» READ MORE: Philly’s Jaron Ennis a big favorite to defend interim IBF Welterweight title vs. Roiman Villa

But the Ennis family also is coming to terms with the fact that the fight likely won’t happen.

“One of his friends turned to me and said, ‘Hey, he’s not going to fight Boots,’” Bozy Ennis said of the night last year in Carson, Calif. “His people said, ‘Nah. He’s not going to fight him. He’s moving up.’”

Spence is defending his WBC, WBA, and IBF titles on July 29 against WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford in an anticipated superfight in Las Vegas. Both fighters are expected afterward to move to a heavier weight class, therefore vacating the titles and automatically making Ennis — assuming he wins on Saturday in A.C. — the IBF champion.

“We don’t mind fighting him,” Bozy Ennis said of Spence, who is favored against Crawford. “But if not, we would become champions automatically.”

Ennis (30-0, 27 knockouts) is a heavy favorite on Saturday against Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) and the conversation surrounding the 12-rounder is all about what’s going to happen after Boots leaves Boardwalk Hall. Will he finally get a title shot? Will the champ vacate the titles? Is there a fight on the horizon against fellow rising welterweights Eimantas Stanionis or Vergil Ortiz Jr.? Maybe Keith Thurman wants to face Boots?

Despite the buzz that follows him, Ennis said he’s not looking past Villa.

“After I win on July 8, then we can talk about the rest of the guys: the winner of Spence and Bud, the winner of Vergil Ortiz and Stanionis, even the older guys like [Yordenis] Ugas and Keith Thurman. We can talk about them,” Ennis said. “But right now, I’m locked in on Villa. I just have to stay on the task at hand and handle business.”

Villa has built a reputation for applying pressure, but Ennis laughed when asked last week about his opponent’s power. The 30-year-old from Colombia is a heavy puncher as he earned his shot at Ennis by stunning Rashidi Ellis in January with a pair of 12th-round knockdowns on the same card as Ennis’ last fight. Ennis doesn’t seem impressed.

“Villa’s a good fighter. He comes forward and throws a lot of wild shots,” Ennis said. “No jab, doesn’t move his head. His pressure isn’t really pressure. He hits and then he backs up. He’s waiting for one shot, trying to get you tired. But I’m not Rashidi Ellis. I’m in top shape all the time. Whatever he thinks he’s going to bring to the table, I have something for it.”

Ennis has hardly been challenged in his undefeated career, but his last fight — a unanimous decision over Karen Chukhadzhian — was not his most impressive victory. He controlled the 12-rounder and won each round on all three scorecards, but the fight dragged. Chukhadzhian fought awkwardly, didn’t engage much with Ennis, and brought a style that created a dull bout.

The win earned Ennis his interim title, but it was not the statement many expected him to make. He had scored his previous 19 wins by stoppage and had reached the sixth round just four times in his previous 30 fights. Chukhadzhian was supposed to be another quick knockout that would cement Ennis as a star. Instead, it was a dud.

“I don’t really care what anybody is thinking or what anybody has to say as long as I’m winning and doing what I have to be doing‚” Ennis said. “There’s a lot of things I know I have to do better and I’m glad I went the 12 rounds. Hopefully these guys fight me now. Come fall for that trap.”

Ennis has been waiting more than a year for his elusive title shot. The May 2022 win over Custio Clayton was supposed to align him for that shot, but it didn’t happen. The win in January against Chukhadzhian was supposed to be his last fight before a title shot. And now Saturday night is supposed to be the win that finally puts him in position. If Ennis handles business, that’s likely what will happen. He’ll likely either become champion or fight for the right to be champion. But Ennis is not holding his breath for a shot against Spence. And that’s OK because he’ll still get his title.

“It’s a title, yeah. But I don’t consider it as the world title,” Bozy Ennis said of the interim crown. “We’re supposed to be fighting Spence. That’s the world title. That’s the one we need. They have to give it up sooner or later.”

» READ MORE: Jaron Ennis could be Philly’s next great boxing champion, but first he needs a title shot