Jaron Ennis will defend his IBF welterweight title against David Avanesyan at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 13, with the event broadcast live worldwide on DAZN. Cody Crowley is out, and what do we get? Avanesyan, the Armenian knockout champion, is ready to make this fight even more spectacular for the Philadelphia crowd.

More than 10,000 tickets have already been sold, proving that Philly fans are ready for a good time — or maybe just a fight. If you don’t have a ticket yet, you can visit Ticketmaster.com before you get stuck watching highlights on your phone like a sucker.

Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) returns to his hometown for the first time since 2018. And he’s coming off a knockout win over Roiman Villa last year just to remind everyone why he’s the champion. Meanwhile, Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs), known for taking down Brits like it’s a hobby, is ready to turn July 13 into a night to remember — or at least something to talk about at the pub.

Ennis, who doesn’t mince his words, said, “Now that Crowley is officially out of my fight, I think Avanesyan is the better opponent. He’ll put up a better fight.”

Avanesyan, clearly excited about another shot at glory, added: “This is my last chance at a world title and I have to take it. I respect Ennis and his career because he was excellent, but he has what I want and what I need.” Translation: He’s ready to fight and doesn’t plan on being a footnote in Ennis’ career.

The evening’s fight card features a full lineup including Jalil Hackett taking on Peter Dobson for the WBA Continental North America welterweight title, Skye Nicolson defending her WBC World featherweight title against Dyana Vargas and a lightweight heavyweight bout between Khalil Coe and Manuel Gallegos.

As expected, Shakur Stevenson defeated Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday night to defend his WBC lightweight title for the first time.

The result was a unanimous decision victory, with Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) notching his fourth straight points victory in five fights, defeating Harutyunyan 170-74.

The comeback fight in front of 8,412 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, Up-to-date Jersey, marked the end of Stevenson’s contract with longtime promoter Top Rank.

While the 27-year-old left-hander didn’t pick up a significant win that would have significantly increased his value heading into free agency, he did make a statement in other ways.

Three-division champion Stevenson wore a T-shirt with a clear message addressed to Top Rank boss Bob Arum, who was not in attendance at the event.

“Bob Saves His Son From Getting His Ass Kicked” was the slogan on the back of Stevenson’s T-shirt, with a photo of Arum and IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on the front.

Stevenson, who was set to become a free agent, had no chance of getting the fight that would decide his career.

But there was a deal.

Stevenson said he turned down a five-fight, $15 million offer from Top Rank.

“Yeah, it’s not a dime a dozen,” Stevenson said in an interview that aired on ESPN just before his win over Harutyunyan. “But I know my worth and I know who I am now. I understand my worth from when I first signed with them to now — it’s a lot higher.

“It wouldn’t be hard” [to get the big fights] if I committed to coming back to sign with Top Rank. The fights didn’t happen because I didn’t re-sign with Top Rank.

“I see all these guys getting opportunity after opportunity, it’s just so tough to get a huge fight. I blame my promoter for a lot of that. They could have done a lot more to make those huge fights happen.

“I was built the right way and I appreciate them for that, but at the end we could have tried harder to make the huge fights instead of always making excuses. The vision should have been much bigger.”

During the post-fight press conference, Stevenson spoke about the fights he was unable to fight, namely the fights with Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis, who are now scheduled to face each other.

“To say [Lomachenko] “Fight me,” Stevenson said. “Wouldn’t that be a chilly fight? Someone who goes in there and tries to fight and tries to win? He’s technically good. There are a lot of people who probably think, ‘Lomachenko can beat’ [Stevenson]. He couldn’t stop. [Harutyunyan]. Why not put up a fight? [Lomachenko] doesn’t want to fight.

“I’m just telling it like it is… I can’t force these fights if these guys don’t want to fight me.”

Stevenson’s message to Tank was plain.

“Get ready,” he said. “I want to fight guys who are trying to fight me and have something to lose, like I do, not guys who come in here and want to be part of the show.”

Stevenson is also unsure what will happen next as he has not ruled out a return to Top Rank.

“I don’t know what I’m willing to do. I have to sit down at the table and find out,” Stevenson said. “I’m ready to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Stevenson pulled out of the fight with Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) without any problems and rated his performance as C-plus.

“He was a tough fighter. You can’t take anything away from him. If a good fighter knows how to survive and that’s his goal, sometimes it’s tough to get him out of there,” Stevenson said.

“These guys came to survive and their goal is to make sure they get through 12 rounds… I did what I could [to entertain the fans]. Sometimes I let go of my hands and sometimes I punished him. This guy just made sure he stayed on his feet.”

Shakur Stevenson won an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, and eight months later he made his professional debut for Top Rank.

Bob Arum, founder and CEO of Top Rank, signed Stevenson when he was 19, the only promoter the champion has ever worked with. Seven years later, their relationship is sure to change after Stevenson successfully defends his WBC lightweight title on Saturday against Artem Harutyunyan.

Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) dominated — he was a -3,500 favorite, according to ESPN BET — but he couldn’t secure the thrilling victory he wanted. Boos rang out at the end of the fight as Stevenson cruised to a unanimous decision victory over an underdog for the second straight time. This time, the boos came from his hometown fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, Up-to-date Jersey.

Stevenson, 27, said the taunts were aimed at Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) because he “didn’t really try to fight.” And while it’s true that neither Harutyunyan nor Edwin De Los Santos — Stevenson’s last opponent in November — pressed the action, the onus was on the immensely talented Stevenson to find a way to finish his opponent.

Now Stevenson will have to test his free agent position after a lackluster win that was not at all the performance he had hoped for.

Stevenson turned down a five-fight contract extension with Top Rank, sources told ESPN, because it would have guaranteed the boxer $3 million per fight.

He could sign with a rival promoter — PBC, Matchroom, Golden Boy, etc. — or remain a free agent and enjoy the flexibility offered by fighters like Devin Haney and his mentor, Terence Crawford.

“Honestly, I want to start my own promotional company and just work with promoters and do a lot of short-term stuff so I’m not locked in and tied to someone,” Stevenson told ESPN on June 30.

Stevenson lamented not getting the KO, and while he blamed Harutyunyan, he also looked inward. The champion said he needed to improve his ability to cut off the ring.

Outside the ring, Stevenson will be navigating uncharted waters. Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, has publicly expressed interest in a deal with Stevenson. There are sure to be plenty of other promoters who will also be after Stevenson. He is, after all, an undefeated champion, ranked No. 8 by ESPN pound-for-pound.

It looks like Stevenson is ready for a change.

Before Saturday’s fight, Stevenson felt Top Rank had not done enough to promote his fight with Harutyunyan because he declined a contract extension.

“I just feel like they want me to promote the fight and do the things that do the job that they’re supposed to do,” Stevenson said. “… I just feel like I’m not part of the promotional team anymore. … I just wish that at the end of my contract, if we were to start working, it would be better than this.

“I feel like they promoted me well until the end of my contract, until the moment my contract was about to end. And then everything started to drift and change.”

Still, Stevenson wasn’t ready to close the door on a reunion with Top Rank.

“Shakur Stevenson’s contract situation did not in any way impact Top Rank’s promotional efforts for his fight with Artem Harutyunyan,” Top Rank spokesman Evan Korn told ESPN. “Shakur is an incredibly talented fighter, and the passionate crowd at the Prudential Center was a testament to the efforts of both parties.”

Regardless, Stevenson knew he needed a mighty performance on Saturday, especially after a lackluster win over De Los Santos.

Stevenson defeated De Los Santos by scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112, with boos echoing throughout the fight. Stevenson and De Los Santos failed to land double-digit punches in any of the 12 rounds.

Instead of returning to the ring sooner and putting his impoverished performance behind him, Stevenson waited eight months to fight Harutyunyan.

“I asked Top Rank, ‘Can I come back early?’ I had one more fight on my contract. And with everything with Top Rank, they wouldn’t let me do that,” Stevenson said. “They made sure I got pushed back to June, July. June was the original date they gave me. And then, somehow, it ended up being July. … I said, ‘Can I come back in March?’ Honestly, I wanted to come back right away … but they made me wait so long.

“I think I’m the best player on the roster and I didn’t take the offer they wanted, so I feel like they wanted to move me as far away as possible.”

Stevenson should have no one else to blame soon. As a promotional free agent, Stevenson will be calling the shots as he fights for the fight that has eluded him. ESPN’s top two fighters at Stevenson’s 135-pound weight, Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, are in negotiations to fight each other this fall.

Lomachenko is also promoted by Top Rank, and Stevenson pushed for the fight but it never happened. Davis, one of boxing’s biggest stars, is with PBC.

Stevenson said he would explore a move up to 140 pounds “for the money fights” and mentioned Mexican Isaac Cruz, a champion who is building a gigantic fan base. He’s with PBC.

There’s also Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. Lopez, who Top Rank promotes, is the 140-pound champion. Garcia is suspended until April 2025 and has said he won’t make 140. Haney could end up at 140, too.

Stevenson’s most appetizing, viable option may be Mexico’s William Zepeda, who put on another thrilling performance Saturday night, knocking out Giovanni Cabrera in the third round. Zepeda, a Golden Boy boxer, is one step away from a title shot.

“I haven’t spoken to Shakur,” Golden Boy Promotions founder and head promoter Oscar De La Hoya said on DAZN before Zepeda’s win. “I love his style. I love that he’s a very talented fighter. There’s no doubt about it. … I just feel like William Zepeda can beat anyone. … William Zepeda and Shakur Stevenson is a fight that people would like to see. … I’d like to work with Shakur Stevenson.”

Stevenson, meanwhile, has already won titles in three divisions. So what’s missing? Megafights, and now he won’t be burdened by boxing’s promotional politics as he seeks them out.

“I mean, I definitely don’t want to close the door, but I think [Top Rank is] more ready to close the door than I am,” Stevenson said. “So honestly, if they’re saying f— to me, they are. That’s how I feel.”