Boxing
Boots Ennis stops David Avanesyan in five points in Philadelphia homecoming match
PHILADELPHIA — The kid was a pain. He could never leave his older brothers, Derek and Farah, alone. Where they went, he went. What they did, he did. He was a chubby kid in diapers who could throw a left hook into a bulky bag.
It seemed he was also the child of promise. A decade later, Jaron “Boots” Ennis would be the one to capture the imagination of the boxing world and complete the journey his brothers had begun.
Boots’ coronation took place on Saturday night. It only took a moment. He had more problems outside the ring than in it, with management issues and promotional deals to sort out.
When his time came, the lights dimmed in his hometown and Ennis filled the 21,000-seat Wells Fargo Center to defend his IBF welterweight title for the first time. The 14,119 crowd was the largest attendance for an indoor fight in Philadelphia since all-time great Marvin Hagler defeated Bennie Briscoe by a 10-round decision on Aug. 24, 1978 at the defunct Philadelphia Spectrum (14,930).
After a year’s layoff, Ennis managed to stop the very complex David Avanesyan in the fifth round.
“I felt a little off,” Ennis admitted. “My timing was a little off. I didn’t think my timing would be off.”
Within the first few seconds, Boots staggered Avanesyan with a jab. One thing was clear: Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) was much bigger than Avanesyan. Within the first 90 seconds, Boots knocked out Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) with a right kick to the body, the length of which sent Avanesyan swinging in midair.
With about a minute left in the first round, Ennis’ right hook caught Avanesyan below the belt. Avanesyan knelt down in obvious discomfort, trying to loosen the belt to relieve the tension below.
Avanesyan seemed intent on using every second of the five minutes he was given to recover. Boots came back into the game with a demanding punch that broke Avanesyan’s high guard, connecting with rights to the body.
In the second round, Ennis continued to land punches and overwhelm the smaller Avanesyan. Then came some shooting drills, hammering Avanesyan with powerful body punches and lefts to the head. Avanesyan seemed to be trying to break it up, and Boots was willing to trade punches.
Against a better fighter, Ennis could have had trouble considering the way Avanesyan managed to get to him.
In the third, Ennis’ left to the body knocked Avanesyan’s arms down. Again, Ennis had it simple, as he hacked at Avanesyan’s head and body with brief, blunt blows.
Avanesyan wasn’t able to do much to stop Ennis from getting close to him.
In the final 20 seconds of the third round, Ennis finished the fight with a double right hook, followed by a right to the body. Boots was doing whatever he wanted.
Avanesyan had one moment in the opening seconds of the fourth round when he threw a combination on Ennis against the ropes. Then it was Boots again, who made Avanesyan’s body red with punishing uppercuts and left hooks.
There were still moments when Ennis was hit when he shouldn’t have been. Avanesyan’s face began to turn red, as did his body.
In the fifth round, Avanesyan hit Ennis with a right hook and then a left hook that caught Boots square in the chin. Avanesyan pinned him to the ropes and had a great round when Boots countered with a left hook that caught Avanesyan in the right temple and sent him down.
Avanesyan showed great courage by staying in the country.
Referee Eric Dali wisely ended the fight, following the ring doctor’s recommendation after the fifth round.
Jalil Hackett lands punches on Peter Dobson during their fight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (Photo: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
In the co-feature fight, a 10-round welterweight bout saw Jalil Major Hackett remain undefeated, going the distance for the first time and defeating the tough, average-sized Peter Dobson by unanimous decision.
Hackett (9-0, 7 KOs) never had trouble and never had trouble with Dobson (16-2, 9 KOs). But Hackett controlled the fight from start to finish, winning 97-93 (twice) and 96-94.
There was a lot of obvious friction between the two during the pre-fight press conference, with Hackett shoving Dobson during the fight.
This was decided in the ring.
Hackett was the early aggressor, alternating between attacking Dobson and using feints to cover him up. Hackett controlled the pace, and the early part of the first fight was fought at a favorable distance.
Hackett fared well, although Dobson did manage to capitalize on one opportunity and landed a left hook on Hackett in the final minute of the first quarter.
The second began much like the first, with Hackett coming forward, working well behind the jab and working the levels, jabbing up and sneaking a left lead to the body. Dobson tried to time him and landed again, albeit inconsistently. His left hook seemed to be particularly effective. Hackett had trouble seeing it at times.
After two minutes, Hackett seemed comfortable.
In the third round, Dobson tried to be more dynamic. He landed a few body shots and showed that he was ready to make this fight even.
Jalil Hackett lands a left hook on Peter Dobson during their fight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia {Photo: Melina Pizano/Matchroom).
In the fourth round, a right hook from Hackett followed by a double left hook troubled Dobson. A left-right combo snapped Dobson’s head back and it looked like the 21-year-old from Washington was looking to close the show.
Dobson was in full retreat by the fifth round. His corner was urging him to come to the center of the ring, knowing that if Hackett cornered him, it would be over. A tiny bruise was forming on the left side of Dobson’s forehead, a little Hasim Rahman lump that would grow.
Dobson held his ground. But as the rounds wore on, his defenses weakened, and his hand speed gave way to leisurely punches.
Between the sixth and seventh rounds, referee Harvey Dock looked into Dobson’s corner as his team worked on him.
Now with a target, Hackett attacked the left side of Dobson’s head. Dobson was too exhausted to counterattack.
In the eighth round, Hackett also slowed down. For the first time in his career, Hackett went more than four rounds. He had enough left to take Dobson at will, feeling little threatened.
Dobson had Hackett exactly where he wanted him, in the middle of the ring, and he was so sluggish he was unable to mount an attack.
It became a matter of survival for both, with Hackett reveling in victory and Dobson trying not to be stopped.
In a scheduled 10-round junior lightweight fight, Christopher Diaz (29-4, 19 KOs) defeated Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo (12-2-1, 10 KOs) at 2:36 of the second round.
Christian Carto lands punches on Carlos Buitrago during their fight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (Photo: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Featherweight contender Christian Carto (23-1, 16 KOs) defeated Carlos Buitrago via knockout in the third round of a scheduled eight-round fight.
In the third round, Carto floored Buitrago (38-14-1, 22 KOs) with a left hook. He ended the round with a barrage of punches on a seemingly defenseless Buitrago. Referee Harvey Dock watched closely. Buitrago’s corner saw it. They stopped it after the third round.
Ismail Muhammad lands punches on Frank Brown during their fight at the Wells Fargo Center. (Photo: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
In a scheduled six-round junior welterweight fight, hometown left-hander Ismail “The Chef” Muhammad won a unanimous decision over Frank Brown. Muhammad (5-0, 3 KOs) was unexpectedly knocked down in the first round by a right hook from Brown. It was the first time Muhammad had been knocked down as a pro. In the fourth round, Muhammad recovered from Brown (3-5-2, 1 KO), knocking him down with a right hook.
In the fifth round, Brown was more content to clown around than to fight. He moved his shoulders. He begged the referee to do something when he got punched in the face. He played with the crowd between rounds. He was fun to watch, but he still lost 58-54 (2), 57-55.
Banquet fighter Dennis “Serene Storm” Thompson began his pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Fernando Joaquin Valdez (1-8). Valdez didn’t make it simple. He kept the pressure on Thompson, who won a 40-36 unanimous decision.
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