All signs pointed to a budding rivalry between Rashidi Ellis and Jaron “Boots” Ennis. With both fighters sharing the spotlight this past weekend on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia, they fulminated during the lead-up, leaving many to believe that a showdown between them was a matter of when, not if, it will take place. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

Of course, before the pair could move forward, they were asked to take care of business on the night. Officially, Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) would do just that, outpointing a trickier-than-expected Karen Chukhadzhian in the co-main event. But while Ennis dominated his man, Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) struggled mightily with rough and rugged contender, Roiman Villa.

“Bozy” Ennis, Jaron’s father and trainer, salivated as he began to envision his son and Ellis in the center of the ring trading fists. However, Villa had other ideas.

Ellis, following a strong start in the first half of their bout, slowed down considerably in the second half. The flashy combinations and speed, along with his perpetual movement that bemused Villa, failed him in the long run. In the 12th and final round in particular, Villa pinned the highly ranked contender against the ropes and began teeing off, leading to two knockdowns and a majority decision victory.

Bozy, visibly stunned by what took place, quickly pinpointed what went wrong. Although he admits that Ellis looked incredible in the early goings, he credits Villa for never taking his foot off the gas pedal. In Bozy's view, his ubiquitous style of attack crumbled due to a combination of poor conditioning and Villa’s relentless pressure and desire to close the show strong.

“You can come out there all strong all you want to and throw those combinations but you can’t keep moving for all those rounds like that," said Bozy to BoxingScene.com. "Rashidi slowed down, he slowed down.”