GRADES: JARON ENNIS, ROIMAN VILLA, JOSEPH DIAZ, FLOYD SCHOFIELD & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

Well, we had some interesting fights this weekend to say the least.

In perhaps the Performance of the Week, we saw Jaron Ennis make easy work of the ever-tough Roiman Villa in Atlantic City. We also saw Floyd Schofield earn a one-sided decision in San Antonio.

On Friday, we even saw some action, with Diego Pacheco stopping Manuel Gallegos early the early frames. And...we saw an overweight Joseph Diaz.

In any event, without much more rambling, let's hand out these Grades:

JARON ENNIS
GRADE: A+
RESULT: DEF. ROIMAN VILLA, 10KO)(WELTERWEIGHT)

Yeah, that is just about as perfect a performance as you're going to see from an up and coming fighter.

Jaron Ennis made relatively easy work of Roiman Villa and showed that he's ready for just about anybody at Welterweight, and has to be considered the overwhelming favorite against anyone not named Terence Crawford or Errol Spence (and before you bring up Vergil Ortiz, just know that his days at 147 pounds are over).

Ennis showed an ability to crack a very durable chin, showed patience, and showed some dog when he needed to show it. Hell, he even took a decent shot here and there. Par for the course when you're looking to come forward as much as Ennis was on the night.

Time will tell how well Ennis stacks up at the very top. However, based on results thus far, Jaron is a problem at 147 pounds.

ROIMAN VILLA
GRADE: B-
RESULT: LOSS TO JARON ENNIS, 10KO (WELTERWEIGHT)

We know this for sure: Roiman Villa is a tough, tough bastard. Unfortunately, toughness alone doesn't win you fights when you have someone as skilled as Jaron Ennis in front of you.

Villa just couldn't match the hand speed, nor could he time it; he couldn't deal with the angles, nor could he negate them. I almost every way, Villa was beat on the night.

Where he can improve is tough to say. Sometimes, every new lesson or change in style wouldn't be enough to beat the guy you just fought. That's the case here.

In general, Villa may need to be a bit more nuanced in his approach facing the top fighters at 147 pounds. If Roiman can add some technique to the guts he has, he could have another string if good fights left in him yet.

FLOYD SHOFIELD
GRADE: A-
RESULT: DEF. HASKELL RHODES, 10UD (LIGHTWEIGHT)

All in all, it was a decent learning experience for Floyd Schofield on Saturday against Haskell Rhodes.

He learned what it's like to be surprised and moved into the main event of a would-be big show. He learned to deal with a nasty cut. And Schofield even managed to show much of what he has learned in previous fights, taking his time and not rushing the finish when he dropped his man late.

Floyd didn't lose a round (Floyd's have a knack for winning rounds), and was able to show off a lot of the tools he's got in the box.

For only his 15th professional contest, you can't ask for much more. Schofield is developing and seems on the right path if this past weekend was any indication.

MARLEN ESPARZA
GRADE: C-
RESULT: DEF. GABRIELA ALANIZ, 10MDEC (FLYWEIGHT)

This was a tough outing for world champion Marlen Esparza.

Whether or not you feel Esparza did enough to win (many in attendance sides with "not"), it still wasn't a great night at the office for the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. Esparza just couldn't see to get through the gears and was definitely out-worked throughout the contest.

At 33 years of age, you would think she might have a year or two left at the top. But smaller fighters do seem to age a bit quicker, and perhaps we are seeing that in Esparza.

Or maybe she just underestimated the previously undefeated Gabriela Alaniz.

Either way, running this one back seems reasonable for both parties to set the record straight.

JOSEPH DIAZ
GRADE: F
RESULT: DEF. JERRY PEREZ, 10UD (WELTERWEIGHT)

This grade might seem harsh -- and it might be, to be fair -- but it also seems reasonable.

For the second time in his last six fights, Joseph Diaz has come in substantially overweight. In 2021 for a Jr. Lightweight bout, Diaz came in three pounds over the 130 pound limit. Now, for the Jerry Perez encounter at 135 pounds, Diaz landed at 6 pounds over the mark.

That's right. He came in as a small Welterweight for his Lightweight encounter.

He doesn't have the excuse of needing to move this time. He's already moved up, and missed weight by more. This was a choice Diaz made.

And you can't say, as a Diaz defender, that I should just grade the performance, not the missed weight situation. The fact that Joseoh missed weight and didn't have to make that cut and that sacrifice is an advantage on the night.

All around, just wasn't a good thing for Diaz and his grade will definitely reflect that fact.

DIEGO PACHECO
GRADE: B+
RESULT: DEF. MANUEL GALLEGOS, 4TKO (SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT)

There is a lot of upside as it pertains to Diego Pacheco.

He has quick hands for Super Middleweight and can box a hit as well, especially for someone with growing power in his punches. He also seems to be maturing as his career progresses, which is what you hope to see in a 22-year-old with less than 20 pro fights.

However, he still will get tagged with the silly looping shot around the guard. He also seems to spend a bit too much timing giving up ground, as he did against Manuel Gallegos before stopping him in the fourth. Diego still seems to be lacking his man strength on the inside.

Definitely not a bad performance, but certainly a few areas where Pacheco could stand to tighten up.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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