Boxing
Weight Alert: Ennis-Avanesyan and Philadelphia Undercard
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. HumzaPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — It seems Jaron “Boots” Ennis had that right. He always dreamed of fighting in front of a large crowd in his hometown of Philadelphia. When he signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom in April, that chance was part of a multi-fight deal.
It will happen on Saturday.
Ennis, the No. 2 welterweight contender according to The Ring, will defend his IBF 147-pound title for the first time Saturday night on DAZN against eventual replacement David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 knockouts). The real story is how the fight sells out. Hearn expects 14,000 fans at the 21,000-seat Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the NBA 76ers and NHL Flyers.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will be fighting for the first time in over a year. He last fought on July 8, 2023, when he stopped Roiman Villa at 1:27 of the 10th round. He has since been awarded the IBF title after Terence “Bud” Crawford vacated the belt, which gave the 27-year-old Philadelphian some incentive.
“This wasn’t how I wanted to win the world title,” Boots told The Ring. “I wanted to win it in the ring. I wanted to have the doubt. The flip side of that is I was waiting for Crawford and (Errol) Spence and Eimantas Stanionis and Cody Crowley and all the other top guys. None of them wanted to fight me. So when they told me I was getting the IBF title, I wasn’t going to say no. I know what I’ve earned and what I deserve.
“It’s just not how I wanted to have a championship belt around my waist. Now I’m defending my title and everyone’s going to be after me. I’m ready. I can’t wait. I’m going to have a good time on Saturday night. I’m going to be sitting at home on the couch with my feet up.”
Avanesyan was a last-minute replacement for the original IBF mandatory challenger, Cody Crowley, who was pulled from the fight after failing a pre-fight eye test.
The event will also feature a 10-round WBC featherweight title fight between Skye Nicolson (10-0, 1 KO) and challenger Dyana Vargas (19-1, 12 KO), while a supporting fight will feature 21-year-old undefeated welterweight contender Jalil Major Hackett (8-0, 7 KO) and Peter Dobson (16-1, 9 KO).
“I know what’s going to happen, we won’t go four rounds, maybe five, I don’t know,” said Derek “Bozy” Ennis, Boots’ father, trainer and manager. “It all depends on how Boots feels. We have fun when we’re boxing. We have fun doing what we do. It’s a proud moment and a great opportunity to fight here. We appreciate everything (Matchroom) has done for us. You’re going to see a great show on Saturday night. Every time we go out, it’s a special moment. Nobody has taken us to a higher level.”
Here are the weights:
IBF welterweight title – 12 rounds
Jaron Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), 146.4 pounds vs. David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs), 147 pounds
Welterweight – 10 rounds
Jalil Major Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs), 146.6 pounds vs. Peter Dobson (16-1, 9 KOs), 146.4 pounds
WBC featherweight title – 10 rounds
Skye Nicolson (10-0, 1 KO), 125.6 pounds vs. Dyana Vargas (18-1, 12 KO), 125.6 pounds
Airy heavyweights – 10 rounds
Khalil Coe (8-0-1, 6 KOs), 174 pounds vs. Kwame Ritter (11-1, 9 KOs), 173 pounds
Junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Christopher Diaz (28-4, 18 KOs), 131.4 pounds vs. Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo (12-1-1, 10 KOs), 131.4 pounds
Featherweight -8 rounds
Christian Carto (22-1, 15 KOs), 124.4 pounds vs. Carlos Buitrago (38-13-1, 22 KOs), 125.8 pounds
Junior Welterweight – 6 rounds
Ismail Muhammad (4-0, 3 KO), 144 pounds vs. Frank Brown (3-4-2, 1 KO), 144.2 pounds
Rooster – 4 rounds
Dennis Thompson (pro debut), 116.6 pounds vs. Fernando Joaquin Valdez (1-7), 119.2 pounds
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
2 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
3 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
1 week agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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