Jason Ennis dropped Juan Carlos Abreu three times before stopping him in the sixth round of their welterweight bout tonight. It was the first time the durable boxer from the Dominican Republic had ever been stopped as a pro.

If you were going to buy stock in a blue-chip boxing prospect, Philadelphia’s Ennis, who just turned 23 years old in June, would be the one.

Ennis, now 26-0 (24 KOs), got off to a blazing start. From the opening round he kept Abreu at bay with his jab, both upstairs and downstairs. The former U.S. National Golden Gloves gold medalist switched from orthodox to southpaw with seamlessly, confusing his opponent.

Abreu, who weighed in heavy at 150.2 pounds, more than three pounds over the 147-pound welterweight division limit, barely landed a punch of substance through the first three rounds.

Abreu goes down in round 5. Counter uppercut while stepping back from @JaronEnnis #EnnisAbreu pic.twitter.com/MrDvyRrm1p

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) September 20, 2020

Things got a little chippy in the fifth when Abreu landed a low blow that appeared to be intentional, causing a short break in the action and a stern warning from referee Johnny Callas.

It wouldn’t take long for Ennis to get his revenge.

At the close of the fifth, Ennis landed a beautiful counter uppercut that dropped Abreu. He made it to his feet to finish the round, but was dropped again with a chopping right early in the sixth. Once again Abreu made it to his feet, but was put down for a third time from a left hook. Callas immediately called off the fight, giving Ennis his 16^th straight stoppage win.

Ennis landed 92 of 165 power punches (56%) and 117 of 198 overall (39%), including 32 body punches. Abreu (23-6-1, 21 KOs) landed just 23 of 157 total punches (15%).

The Ennis vs Abreu fight was the TV opener of a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. TGB Promotions promoted the event, which was broadcast live on Showtime.

Michael Montero can be found on social media via @MonteroOnBoxing. His podcast “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on TheRingDigital YouTube channel, and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.