Predictions: Ennis vs Lipinets and Stanionis vs Dulorme

Showtime’s back on Saturday night with a tripleheader from Connecticut, which may wind up being their last show in the Mohegan bubble.

In the main event, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (26-0, 24 KO) takes on Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KO), and the welterweight co-feature sees Eimantas Stanionis (12-0, 9 KO) face Thomas Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KO).

We’ve got picks in for both of those fights!

(Note: We didn’t make picks for the Jerwin Ancajas vs Jonathan Rodriguez fight because there is basically no useful footage on Rodriguez. – Scott)

Scott Christ (18-6-1)

I like Stanionis, in part because he’s still 26, hasn’t sort of gotten up into his late 20s, early 30s without stepping up. He believes he’s ready, his team believe he’s ready, so here he’s got Dulorme. Dulorme’s a solid fighter, never became what was once hoped of him, never gotten over the hump, and I think he falls short here, too.

But I believe this could be a really good fight; it’s one I’ve liked more and more thinking about it this past week. We could get some real fireworks, Stanionis likes to bring action and Dulorme may have no choice but to match the tempo. Give me Stanionis in a late stoppage, where he’s likely well ahead on the cards but not out of the woods entirely. Stanionis TKO-11

Wil Esco (19-5-1)

Thomas Dulorime is a hard guy to figure out in my estimation. Just when I think he’s all done competing, he puts up a real fight. And when I think he’s going to put up a fight he sometimes just falls flat. At this point Dulorme has just been a little too volatile in his performances for me to have any serious confidence in him at this point. Stanionis is a young gun who should be able to take out Dulorme at this point, who should at least test the Lithuanian. Dulorme does have some solid experience against some very talented fighters, and I think that experience is going to at least see him through the final bell. I’ll take Stanionis to win by decision. Stanionis UD-12

Patrick L. Stumberg (17-7-1)

I really, really liked what I saw out of Stanionis against Justin DeLoach; his constant pressure and ability to rapidly switch from a high guard into brutal bursts of offense look like a handful for most of the division. Game as he always is, Dulorme isn’t an exception. The Puerto Rican’s skill, grit, and aggression are offset by a shaky chin and lack of raw firepower, both of which Stanionis can exploit mercilessly.

This is, of course, assuming that Stanionis doesn’t turn out to be a frontrunner. Despite those flaws, Dulorme is a genuinely tough customer who regularly pushes very capable fighters to their limits. Stanionis still has a lot to prove and he’s definitely taking a considerable step up against a battle-tested opponent, but I’m confident enough in his abilities to say he wears Dulorme down for a mid-to-late finish. Stanionis TKO-7

Lewis Watson (19-5-1)

I can’t claim to know too much about Stanionis, but what I have seen, I like. I enjoy watching come-forward pressure fighters, and the Lithuanian is no exception. He’s powerful and spiteful off the front foot and mixes up his attacks to head and body well. Every punch he throws within a combination is done with bad intentions; put him in front of a tree and he’d bang away for hours until it started to fall.

I’m hoping Dulorme fights fire with fire in this eliminator. If he stands and trades I’m not sure we’ll hear the final bell, but boy we could be in for a cracker. Stanionis TKO-7

And the staff winner is…

Eimantas Stanionis (4-0)!

How to Watch Ennis vs Lipinets

Date: Saturday, April 10 | Start Time: 9:00 pm ET
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
TV: SHO | Streaming: Showtime Anytime
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com

Scott Christ (18-6-1)

There were a lot of these fights to pick this week, and a little inside baseball, I’m also the one who puts the posts together in the end. It’s not exactly backbreaking work or anything but I’m just going to keep this one really simple.

I like Sergey Lipinets, I think he’s a good fighter, I think he’s the right sort of opponent for Ennis right now, and I think Ennis is going to demolish him. “Boots” is the real deal. Since I’ve joined Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford in no longer giving a shit about Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford, the guys most exciting to me at 147 now are the rising contenders, Vergil Ortiz Jr and Jaron Ennis in particular. Let’s hope if they max out as hoped right now and become the 1-2 guys at some point, they actually fight instead of three years of Tweeting. Ennis TKO-4

Wil Esco (19-5-1)

There’s only been a select few times since I’ve been at BLH that I’ve anointed a fighter as being ‘the goods’ before they’ve proven it against top opposition. I trust what I see and over the past seven years I’ve been dead right about Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, and Josh Taylor. Jaron Ennis is next up. I think Ennis is a rare talent who really is already primed to contend atop a crowded welterweight division, and I have no doubt he’ll be holding a world title soon enough. As for Serey Lipinets, I fully expect him to come to fight, and I also fully expect him to be cannon fodder for Ennis. Ennis has pretty much everything, and I expect him to put on a display of brilliant boxing and punching when the two meet in the ring. This one’s not a hard one for me at all, I think it’ll be one-way traffic. Ennis TKO-7

Patrick L. Stumberg (17-7-1)

Speaking as someone who’s terribly fond of Lipinets, I don’t see this being anything other than a whooping. He’ll get the sort of slugest he craves, but he’s very much not equipped to win it against a naturally larger, more technically savvy, and ostensibly more powerful operator in Ennis. Though he’s the more experienced of the two when it comes to life-or-death firefights, he’s struggled to impose his will as a welterweight, and Ennis has shown both a strong chin and the ability to roll well with incoming fire.

Lipinets’ chances of scoring a single game-changing punch or surviving Ennis’ artillery long enough to get some proper attrition look distressingly slim. “Boots” has the speed, variety, and raw horsepower to drown Lipinets in the pocket like he did the admittedly far inferior Bakhtiyar Eyubov. “Samurai” goes down with honor, succumbing to an accumulation of head and body blows before the championship rounds. Ennis TKO-8

Lewis Watson (19-5-1)

Lipinets feels like the perfect opponent for Ennis to dominate this weekend, further stating his case as a future welterweight star. Even typing “future welterweight star” feels a little odd. I think we are past the prospect stage with Ennis now and can start calling him a genuine contender. “Boots” has terrific footwork, feints to perfection and his upper body movement is a joy to watch. Lipinets will be dwarfed in skill and physicality this weekend and it’s hard to see anything but a stylish Ennis stoppage. Ennis TKO-9

And the staff winner is…

Jaron Ennis (4-0)!