RISING WELTERWEIGHT STAR JARON “BOOTS” ENNIS BATTLES RUGGED FORMER CHAMPION SERGEY LIPINETS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 10 LIVE ON SHOWTIME(R)

Rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots”
Ennis faces his most difficult test in pursuit of a world title shot as he
headlines his first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® against former world
champion Sergey Lipinets. These formidable contenders meet in a 12-round,
crossroads fight with welterweight world title implications on Saturday,
April 10 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn. in a Premier Boxing Champions event.

In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, a pair of hard-hitting
welterweights square off as Eimantas Stanionis takes another step up in
class as he faces former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme in a
12-round WBA Welterweight Title Eliminator. The telecast opener features
IBF Junior Bantamweight World Champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy”
Ancajas defending his title against Jonathan Rodríguez in a 12-round bout.

The event is promoted by TGB Promotions. Ennis vs. Lipinets is promoted in
association with D&D Boxing.

“Ennis vs. Lipinets is a fantastic fight in the welterweight division that
pits an ascending force in Ennis against a former world champion in
Lipinets,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “It’s a very
competitive fight that presents a fascinating clash of styles and will have
big implications on the future of the 147-pound division. Another
sensational young welterweight will look for a career best win in the
co-feature, as Eimantas Stanionis takes on his toughest test to date in the
veteran Thomas Dulorme. Adding in 115-pound champion Jerwin Ancajas seeking
an impressive ninth title defense against Mexico’s Jonathan Rodríguez, and
all the ingredients are in place for an action-packed night on SHOWTIME
April 10.”

Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) is the latest in the pantheon of outstanding
Philadelphia fighters, combining sublime boxing skills with natural power
in both hands. After numerous appearances on ShoBox: The New Generation,
the 23-year-old Ennis has graduated to headlining his first SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast. Heading into his last bout against Chris van
Heerden, Ennis was riding a streak of 16 consecutive knockouts. That streak
ended when the fight was stopped after the first round due to an accidental
clash of heads that opened a severe cut on the forehead of Van Heerden.

“I’m excited to be back April 10,” said Ennis. “This is the type of fight
I’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait to perform and put on a beautiful show.
Y’all will see something special out of me come fight night. I’m excited to
be the main event. It’s time for me to shine!”

The 31-year-old Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KOs) established himself as a force at
140 pounds when he won the IBF world title with a victory over Akihiro
Kondo in 2017. He lost the title to four-division world champion Mikey
Garcia in 2018 and then moved up to welterweight in 2019. He served notice
that he would be a contender at welterweight when he scored an impressive
stoppage victory over two-division champion Lamont Peterson in 2019. Born
in Kazakhstan and representing Russia, Lipinets now lives in Woodland
Hills, California and is trained by renowned trainer Joe Goossen. Lipinets
is coming off a hard-fought majority draw against undefeated Custio Clayton
in October 2020.

“Training is grueling and I’m working hard with Joe Goossen to be at my
best on fight night,” said Lipinets. “We have a tough, young fighter in
Ennis who thinks I’m a stepping stone for him. But sometimes stepping
stones trip you up, and I’ll be doing my best to trip him up on April 10.
I’m just doing my best to get prepared for what I expect to be a dog fight.
Every fan that knows boxing knows that this is going to be a real war and
worth tuning in for. I expect we’ll be fighting in a phone booth at times,
but I also expect him to try to use his reach and fight me at a distance at
times. But no matter what he does, I’ll be ready for him.”

Stanionis (12-0, 9 KOs) has put together a string of impressive victories
as he has climbed up the ranks from prospect to contender. He enters the
match against Dulorme with four consecutive knockout victories. The
26-year-old from Lithuania, who now lives and trains in California, looked
impressive as he picked up three solid victories in 2019, beating Samuel
Figueroa via unanimous decision and scoring early stoppages against Julio
Cesar Sanchez and Evincii Dixon. The undefeated welterweight has put the
division on notice with back-to-back dominating main event performances in
November and December 2020, when he notched ninth-round knockouts over
Justin DeLoach and Janer Gonzalez respectively.

“This is my first time fighting on SHOWTIME and it feels like a dream come
true,” said Stanionis. “Dulorme is experienced and has been a good fighter
for a long time. On paper, this is my toughest fight, but I’m ready. I’ll
be prepared for whatever he brings. With our styles, it’s going to be a
war. I’m ready to fight right now. Somebody is going down and no matter
what happens, the fans are going to win.”

The 31-year-old Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KOs) has amassed a solid resume at 140
and 147 pounds during his career, climbing into the ring with world
champions Yordenis Ugas, Jessie Vargas and Terence Crawford. Born in
Marigot, Guadeloupe but fighting out of and representing Carolina, Puerto
Rico, Dulorme rebounded from a loss to Crawford for a 140-pound title by
scoring back-to-back knockouts, followed by a narrow decision loss to top
welterweight Yordenis Ugas. The world title challenger is coming off a
unanimous decision loss to Jamal James in his last fight in August.

“I’m very excited for this fight on April 10,” said Dulorme. “I came up
short in my last fight for the title, but a win against Stanionis will put
me right back into the position I want. He’s young and strong, but I have a
lot more experience and I will show it in the ring and it will lead me to
victory.”

Representing the Philippines, Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs) was only 15 years
old when he was spotted by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. The young fighter
blossomed with Pacquiao’s guidance, becoming the first world champion under
Pacquiao’s promotional banner when he outpointed McJoe Arroyo for the IBF
World Junior Bantamweight title in September 2016. The 29-year-old southpaw
hasn’t lost since and will be making the ninth defense of his title when he
faces Rodríguez. In his most recent outing in December, Ancajas stopped
Miguel Gonzalez in six rounds.

“I am really looking forward to returning to the ring on April 10 for my
first fight on SHOWTIME,” said Ancajas. “Everybody knows the great rivalry
between the Philippines and Mexico, and I look forward to adding another
explosive fight to that history. Fight fans know where all the action
fights are right now, and that’s the 115-pound division. I’m thankful for
this opportunity and I plan to make the most of it.”

Mexico’s Rodríguez (22-1, 16 KOs) was given the nickname “Titan” because of
his prodigious power. Since suffering a disputed split-decision loss to
Jose Martin Estrada Garcia in March 2018, the 25-year-old has won six
straight, including a first-round knockout victory over Julian Yedras last
December. He will be making his U.S. debut against Ancajas.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” said Rodríguez. “When I
started boxing, it was my dream to fight for the world title and win it. On
April 10, all of my dreams and hard work will come true when I hear ‘and
the new IBF champion of the world.’”

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosts the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo handles
blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and
three-division world champion Abner Mares. Two Hall of Famers round out the
telecast team: boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer and
world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. The executive producer is
four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The director is Bob Dunphy,
son of legendary Hall of Famer Don Dunphy. Former junior middleweight world
champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna serve
as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).

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