On Saturday night, the Jaron Ennis spectacle will kick into high gear as the esteemed IBF welterweight champion makes his first defense of his title against David Avanesyan.
The Philadelphia blue chipper will headline a night in his hometown for the first time in six years, this time on a grand stage as Ennis heads to the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA 76ers and NHL Flyers. The fight will be broadcast on DAZN and will mark Ennis’ Matchroom Boxing debut.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) is poised to become the novel face of the welterweight division now that former undisputed champion Terence Crawford has moved up to 154 pounds.
“Boots” won the title from Crawford after the IBF stripped “Boots” of the title in November for failing to make a mandatory defense against Ennis, and the sanctioning body elevated Ennis’ title from interim champion to the full title.
“I’m excited to get in the ring and put on a great show, have fun, look good, take Avanesyan apart, break him down and knock him out to get the ball rolling,” Ennis told BoxingScene. “Saturday night is going to be a statement. I’m calling it 147.”
Ennis, 27, will be making a return to the ring of sorts as he fights for the first time since July of last year when he knocked out the hard-hitting Roiman Villa in 10 rounds.
The 12-month break was the longest in Ennis’ eight-year career.
Ennis has been on the sidelines trying to get his career back on track. In February Ennis filed suit against NOW Boxing – run by Cameron Dunkin, who died in January – seeking to be released from his contract and awarded a $1 million judgment. A settlement was reached in March and the complaint was dismissed with prejudice, opening the door for Ennis to sign a novel deal with Matchroom in April.
“I want what’s best for my career,” Ennis said. “I like the way Eddie Hearn moves his fighters. I like what he does and the way he treats his guys. I just went with it. I like the way Eddie talks for me. I’m glad I have Eddie behind me. It’s a perfect pair.”
While Ennis may be a man of few words, he makes up for it with his powerful fists. The ambidextrous puncher is considered one of the most complete and unique fighters in boxing, and the versatile boxer-puncher is often compared to the second incarnation of three-division champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs).
Ennis, however, was left with a bad taste in his mouth after receiving the Crawford title without fighting him. At the time Crawford was ordered to fight Ennis, he was focused on a rematch with Errol Spence Jr., but that ship sailed as both fighters took their careers in different directions.
“That’s it. It was out of my control,” Ennis said. “I definitely didn’t want to win the belt that way. I’d rather beat a man than take his belt. There was nothing I could do about it.
“I hope [to fight Crawford by 2025]. He’s at 154 and he’s trying to get the belts and my main goal is to be the undisputed champion at 147, but in the future, yeah. I want to fight the best and the best guys, but you see how it went.
Ennis never had a chance to prove himself to the likes of Crawford, Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, Yordenis Ugas and others during his career, and now he’ll have to settle for Avanesyan, a mid-card contender best known for knocking out Crawford in 2022 and knocking out Josh Kelly for his first career loss in 2021. Avanesyan also dealt a post-fight loss to “Sugar” Shane Mosley, who was past his prime, in 2016.
Avanesyan, a 35-year-old Armenian living in the UK, promises “kill” Ennis, come in.
Ennis is unconcerned about Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs), who replaces Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs) after the mandatory challenger withdrew from their originally announced fight in the first week of June due to an eye injury.
Match Room he got the rights for the Ennis-Crowley fight with a prize pool of $3.9 million, 85 percent of which was to go to Ennis, according to IBF rules.
“I prepare the same way I would for anything else – just stay in the gym, stay focused and level-headed,” Ennis said. “I don’t overthink things and just let things fall into place. I put in the time to work tough, that’s all.
“I think David is the better opponent, but Cody is tougher. I guess you could say Avanesyan is putting pressure on [in what he does well]. He fights a bit like my last opponent [Villa]just looks like a smaller version of that. All Avanesyan does is apply pressure and not move his head.
“I’m not worried about anyone else. I’m just looking forward to getting back in the ring and putting on a show for my fans and supporters. I’m going to do my thing, no matter what. I’m not worried about what’s going on with anyone else.
“Everything is going great and perfect. There is no pressure. I love fighting at home. I feel comfortable here.”
Ennis has ambitions to one day become the undisputed champion of four weight classes: 147, 154, 160 and 168 pounds.
Current welterweight contenders with titles of Crawford’s caliber include PBC’s Eimantas Stanionis (WBA) and Mario Barrios (WBC), and Top Rank’s Brian Norman Jr. (WBO).
As Ennis he insists that no one calls him nameshe also has his eye on a potential opportunity to become a star by fighting a legend who is looking to get back to health and fight for a proper fight.
“Nothing has arrived on my table yet [for Manny Pacquiao] and if that happens, I’ll gladly accept it,” Ennis said.
“But definitely those fights [against Stanionis, Barrios and Norman] will happen – you have to be vigilant. After I take care of my business on Saturday night with a large win, that’s my goal – no question. I’m not looking past Avanesyan, but after a win I’ll come for all the belts.”
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