JARON ENNIS might have thought he would never box Karen Chukhadzhian again considering how comfortably he outplayed him when they met in January 2023. However, the IBF had a different opinion and reinstated the Ukrainian as mandatory IBF welterweight champion Boots. Now, ahead of their not-so-anticipated rematch, we take a look at both boxers’ best wins.

JARON ENNIS TOP 3 WINS

Vs David Avanesyan, July 13, 2024, Philadelphia – TKO 5

It was advertised as something of a test for the undefeated Ennis, but it looked like nothing of the sort given the way the home favorite demolished the Armenian. During his substantial homecoming in Philadelphia, in front of 14,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center, Ennis took control almost immediately and routinely landed on both the head and body. The breakthrough came when a right hand dropped Avanesyan in the fifth set, with no challenger emerging early in the sixth.

Vs Romain Villa, July 8, 2023, Atlantic City – KO 12

Colombian Romain Villa came into this fight off the back of a huge 24-0 victory over Rashidi Ellis in his first 12-round fight six months earlier. However, his second outing didn’t go so well with Boots in excellent form. It was something of a masterclass from the Philadelphia star before he finished the show with a substantial cross-hook-cross combination in the southpaw position that sent Villa to the canvas.

vs. Thomas Dulorme, October 30, 2021, Las Vegas – 1 KO

Boots already had 10 first-round knockouts in his career when he faced tough veteran Thomas Dulorme, but in Mandalay Bay he impressively scored 11. Just a minute later, Ennis knocked down Dulorme for the first time with a right hand behind the ear. The Puerto Rican got up and managed to hang on for another 30 seconds before Ennis landed a huge left hand that knocked his opponent down for a second time. Referee Mike Ortega counted Dulorme out and the official timeout was at 1:49 of the first minute.

KAREN CHUKHADZIAN TOP 3 WINS

Vs Pietro Rossetti, October 28, 2023, Munich – TKO 9

Italian Rossetti, known as “The Butcher”, was on a 10-fight winning streak when he arrived in Munich, but Chukhudzhian crushed him within nine. Against the guy he was just too swift and too skillful, and a series of checkered hooks made him look crude at times. In fact, the beating became so one-sided that at 1:11 of the ninth second, referee Leszek Jankowiak stepped in to call a break.

Vs Blake Minto, July 2, 2022, Erding – TKO 6

With a perfect score in eight rounds of 10, Chukhudzhian easily handled his 12-round debut, forcing Blake Minto to retire in the sixth round at the Stadtwerke Arena in Erding, Germany. This was his first defense of the IBF intercontinental belt he had won six months earlier, and the nature of the victory earned him his first shot at Ennis the following January.

Vs Harry Scarff, May 17, 2024, Rothenbaum – UD 12

When Englishman “Horrible” Harry Scarff defeated Ekow Essuman to become the British and Commonwealth welterweight champion, he emerged as a viable opponent for Chukhudzhian, who was still trying to forge a path back to the world title after his defeat to Ennis. And at the Elysee Hotel in Rothenbaum, Chukhudzhian boxed in mature fashion to destroy the in-form guy and take a 116-112 decision on all three scorecards. And it turned out to be a crucial victory, because within a few months the IBF ordered Ennis to face him again.

BOXING turns into a circus on November 15, when 58-year-old Mike Tyson and 27-year-old Jake Paul fight.

Some expect Tyson, one of the most iconic fighters of all time, to destroy Paul with relative ease. However, it may not be that uncomplicated. Tyson’s last professional fight was almost 20 years ago against Kevin McBride, and it was a depressed sight. The once unstoppable Tyson slumped to the bottom rope in defeat was an image that truly summed up where Tyson was at that moment. His performance was very needy, he practically stopped trying and admitted later that he didn’t want to play there anymore. Let me repeat: it was almost 20 years ago.

His life, as always, continued to be a proverbial roller coaster. He gained weight, lost weight, performed live, lost a child, married for the third time, and became a marijuana farmer, just to name a few. He recently stepped into the ring against another boxing legend, Roy Jones Jr. and if this fight had happened after Jones defeated John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in 2003, it would have been a huge exhibition fight in 2020. Tyson looked better against him than Jones did against McBride , but considering the nature of the exhibition, it is hard to say what level it is at.

Paul is a YouTuber/artist turned boxer and it’s difficult to deny that he has worked very difficult and performed very well to reach the level he is currently at in the relatively compact time he has been boxing. It’s very prosperous and there are certainly easier ways to make money than professional boxing, even if you try to choose matches that will attract the most attention with the least risk possible. You have to respect him for still wanting to do it.

It seems that after losing to Tommy Fury, he cleverly realized that he had very little chance of reaching the level in the sport he said he was at. He’s looking for shocking fights with fighters like Mike Tyson while telling people he can beat Canelo. It has promoted very well and there are rumors that it may be one of the most watched live fights of all time, with Netflix entering the sport for the first time and broadcasting the event live.

It’s a shame that this happens, but professional boxing has always been an entertainment business, not a pure sport, and this is just another example of that.

THE FIRST CHAMPION

Last weekend at the club I coach, Paddy John’s ABC, our first national champion of the season was won by 18-year-old Archie Liddell, the national heavyweight champion. I’m trying to sponsor him through Jaffa Cakes, but so far no luck!

Rising star Jesse Rodriguez is the ponderous favorite to retain the WBC super flyweight title on Saturday night in Philadelphia when he faces Pedro Guevara.

The truth is, however, that the 35-year-old Mexican is an extremely experienced former world champion who has had more knockouts than Bam has ever had. Let’s take a look at three of the best wins for both men.

JESSE RODRIGUEZ TOP 3 WINS

vs. Carlos Squares, February 5, 2022, Phoenix – UD 12

It was the fight that catapulted Bam to superstardom. At this event, the 22-year-old was scheduled to face Fernando Diaz in the flyweight division, but when Srisaket Sor Rungvisai withdrew from the main event, Bam entered the fight for the 115-pound world title. And despite facing one of the top super flyweights of a generation, the youngster performed admirably, defeating Cuadras in the third round en route to a majority unanimous decision. The star was truly born and is doing well.

Vs Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, June 25, 2022, San Antonio – TKO 8

Just four months after the breakthrough victory over Cuadras, Bam was back in good form. This time he dismantled the iconic Thai warrior Sor Rungvisai in great style. The Texan controlled the early stages and then turned up the heat midway through the match. A minute into the seventh round, he landed a huge left hook from his southpaw position, knocking the veteran down. The finish came in the next round when Bam pinned his opponent to the ropes and unloaded on his head and body, forcing referee Mark Calo-oy to wave him off at 1:50 of the eighth.

vs. Juan Francisco Estrada, June 29, 2024, Phoenix – KO 7

Although his rise to the top was relatively uneventful, in this case he had to show courage by climbing from the floor to win. The legendary Mexican Juan Francisco was already losing in the fourth round, but in the sixth round he got up and defeated Bam. As we entered the seventh installment, this action-packed thriller was delicately crafted with each contestant on one card and the other on one level. But seconds before the end of the seventh over, Rodriguez drove a devastating left hook into his opponent’s body. Although he did everything in his power to get back up, there was absolutely no way to recover from such a blow.

PEDRO GUEVARA 3 BEST WINS

Yaegashi (left) and Guevara (right) in action during a fight in 2014. (Photo: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP via Getty Images)

Vs Akira Yaegashi, December 30, 2014, Tokyo – KO 7

Guevara lost in his first world title challenge when John Riel Casemiro narrowly defeated him on points in August 2012. However, 18 months later, Guevara fought outside Mexico for the first time, traveling to Japan to face Akira Yaegashi for the WBC flyweight title. And he was returning to his homeland with the belt in his carry-on after closing the performance with a sizzling left hook to the body with 15 seconds left in the seventh, which immediately stopped Yaegashi.

Vs Richard Claveras, April 11, 2015, Mazatlan – TKO 1

Few supported “Explosive” Richard Claveras in defeating Guevara in the first defense of his novel WBC title, but the Filipino was undefeated and had a reputation as a puncher. But the champ wasted no time in dispatching the guy, taking him down and re-dealing with a left hook to the body. Claveras was clear in his head, but he simply couldn’t get to his feet in time to defeat the Count. The official time is 2:31 R1.

Vs Andrew Moloney, 12 May 2024, Perth – SD 12

Guevara gave Rodriguez a shot at the title with a narrow points win over home favorite Andrew Moloney in Perth in May. The fight, which was for the interim version of the WBC super flyweight world title, could not have been tighter as Humberto Olivares and Zanashir Taznaa scored Guevara for the winning goal 115-113, leaving Samantha Bulner’s score 116-113 in favor of Moloney become obsolete. This victory not only gave Bam the advantage, but it was also his first victory in 12 innings in super-fly mode.