As Jaron “Boots” Ennis prepares for his first welterweight title defense Saturday against David Avanesyan, he feels no pressure to perform.
Despite Saturday’s fight being the first of a lucrative multi-fight deal he signed with Matchroom Boxing and a massive event (more than 10,000 tickets sold) at the Wells Fargo Center in his hometown of Philadelphia, Ennis (31-0, 28 knockouts) didn’t let the enormity of the moment get to him. In fact, it was exactly the scenario he imagined. He believes events like this are where he belongs. He’s confident in his talent beyond the weight class, but the road he’s traveled has been longer than expected before the large opportunities have come his way.
Ennis has every right to be confident about his future. After years of waiting for bigger names in the division like Terence Crawford and Errol Spence to give him a chance, those two have seemingly left the division for good, giving Ennis a chance to make his mark on the division. While he certainly wanted those bigger fights, he now understands that he will have the opportunity, if he wins on Saturday, to face the other champions in the division. As it stands, there are no bigger prospects in the welterweight division than Ennis, and there are no huge guarantees of a payday compared to the other top fighters at 147. There are fights to be made.
Ennis also has a spotless slate in terms of representation. Saturday will be Ennis’ first fight in a year, as he no longer has any promotional ties with his former promoter (the tardy Cameron Dunkin and Dunkin’s heirs). With Matchroom, Ennis expects to be promoted on a platform (DAZN) that will pay for opponents. Although he previously had a multi-fight deal with Showtime, for some reason that deal didn’t provide him with major opponents. After offers from multiple parties, Ennis liked the plan that Matchroom and Eddie Heard presented him. Hearn believes Ennis is a star and deserves large events, and he also has the global reach to lure Boots’ top opponents on the road.
Saturday will be Ennis’ first fight in Philadelphia in more than five years. Although he was a darling of the Philadelphia club fight scene, his professional career has included his biggest assignments away from home. Part of the appeal of Matchroom’s offer was a shared understanding of building Ennis at home. The early results of the partnership were good. The fight did better than many expected at the box office. The Wells Fargo Center wasn’t a large player in boxing, but the combination of Boots’ star power and Matchroom’s belief in boxers building a local following led to a successful promotion.
Boots grew up surrounded by boxing. His two older brothers, Derek (24-5-1) and Farah (22-2), were respected professionals who had a reputation as great sparring partners for the best fighters of their era. “They taught me a lot of things,” Boots said. “They taught me to always be ready, to always be in shape. That’s why I am who I am today. I’m always in the gym, always ready. I took that from them and it helped me get to where I am.”
By all accounts, Boots was a prodigy in the gym, an athletic prodigy who was able to master a range of fighting styles at a teenage age. Boots can punch, box, switch up his punches, and overwhelm opponents with hand speed, power, and accuracy.
While Ennis is extremely confident in his skills and abilities, as a gym rat, he appreciates the times he’s faced adversity in his career. Ennis failed to stop the soft-hitting Karen Chukhadzhian in early 2023. He was criticized for not being able to leave the ring and landing single punches to get the knockout. Ennis called the experience “a blessing.” He and his father/trainer, Derek “Bozy” Ennis, immediately returned to the gym and came to some crucial conclusions.
“I went into that fight thinking knockout, knockout,” “Boots” Ennis said. “And it wasn’t even about having fun. It was knockout, knockout. That’s what it was about. I finally started getting into my body and doing my job. It was a learning experience. I lasted 12 rounds and could have lasted 12 more. I was in phenomenal shape that night. That fight was a blessing and I’m glad I had it. That fight got me back to having fun and being myself, not looking for a knockout.”
Similarly, when he landed a few powerful right punches earlier in his career against Thomas Dulorme and Sergey Lipinets, he didn’t ignore or downplay those moments. He saw them as opportunities to improve. “Those fights taught me to be a little more patient, to be a little more keen,” he said. “Since those fights, I’ve been working on being a little more sharp-eyed and better in the ring.”
While Ennis is gifted offensively, Boots said his father’s biggest focus is defense. For them, it’s the foundation of boxing. And Boots has faced solid defensive fighters throughout his career, whether it’s the tough style of former welterweight contender Ray Robinson, with whom he fought countless rounds, or the talented Cuban lightweight Andy Cruz, who has mastered the “hit and don’t get hit” style of the Cuban School of Boxing. And while Boots is always confident in his abilities, he understands there’s always room to improve.
Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) is a tardy replacement opponent for Cody Crowley, who withdrew from the fight after failing an eye exam. Avanesyan lost his last fight to Terence Crawford in 2022, but will certainly be looking to pull off another upset in his storied career. Despite the significant difference in styles of his opponents (Crowley is a boxer who relies on angles and movement, while Avanesyan is more of a power puncher), Ennis wasn’t concerned about the change, saying there haven’t been any significant changes during training camp.
Naturally, Ennis and Terence Crawford will be compared in terms of how they fare against their common opponent, Avanesyan, and it’s worth noting that Ennis has become the full-fledged welterweight champion since Crawford gave up the belt to move up to 154 pounds. But while Ennis has certainly wanted to fight Crawford for years, he understands that his time will come, even if it doesn’t fit his preferred schedule.
“It will come,” Ennis said. “The large fights will come. I have to stay patient, beat whoever they put in front of me, and it will come.”
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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