Promoter Eddie Hearn is convinced that replacement opponent David Avanesyan will be a tougher fight for IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis than his scheduled initial foe Cody Crowley for the July 13th headliner at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Hearn obviously remembers Avanesyan for what he did to previously unbeaten 2016 British Olympian Josh Kelly in February 2021, knocking him out in the sixth round in a blood bath in London. Avanesyan also destroyed Liam Taylor in two rounds at Wembley in October 2021. Those wins were long ago, and Avanesyan has been out of the ring for two years.
Avanesyan: A Ring-Rusty Veteran with a Puncher’s Chance
We don’t know what to expect from him as a substitute with a shortened camp on July 13th, when he will face Boots Ennis.
Ennis is viewed by many as a younger, better version of Crawford, so you can imagine what he’s going to do to a ring-rusty 35-year-old Avanesyan.
Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) is a little long on the tooth at 35, coming off a sixth-round knockout loss to Terence Crawford on December 10, 2022, and hasn’t fought since then.
For his part, ‘Boots’ Ennis has been inactive for an entire year since his last fight against Roiman Villa on July 8, 2023, and that wasn’t an easy fight. Being out of the ring for 12 months won’t have helped ‘Boots’ stay sharp, and one can only imagine how much he’s lost from his game during that time off.
“I think it’s a much tougher fight. I like [Cody] Crowley. I think he’s a really nice man, but he hasn’t got the kind of credentials or the type of performances that you would really think are a serious threat to ‘Boots’ [Ennis],” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, talking about David Avanesyan, the replacement opponent for IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to defend against on July 13th in Philadelphia.
“One thing you know about Avanesyan is he can punch, he’ll come out like a train, super tough, and he’ll test ‘Boots.’”
Avanesyan has power, and he could be dangerous if he connects on Boots Ennis early on because he’s not shown himself to be hard to hit. Ennis got hit a lot in his last fight against Roiman Villa and in his fight before that against Karen Chukhadzhian.
A Big Moment for Ennis and Philadelphia
I do believe ‘Boots’ will look sensational in there [Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia]. Another huge crowd, coming off a big crowd in Phoenix,” said Hearn.
“It’ll be somewhere between 12 and 15,000 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It’ll be a great undercard as well. Henry Lebron against Christopher Diaz. It’s going to be a great fight. Skye Nicholson is defending her world championship. It’s a good night of boxing and a big moment for Jaron Ennis.”
If that crowd turns out at the Wells Fargo Center, it will be an excellent night for Hearn and Boots, provided they come out on top in the main event. Hearn just recently signed Ennis, so he won’t want to see him lose in his debut with Matchroom.
“The city is going to be on fire next week, and a tough fight. I like David Avanesyan and all of his team a lot. Carl Grieves and Neil Marsh are all telling us that the upset is incoming. I don’t believe so, but we shall see next Saturday,” said Hearn.
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