IBF welterweight Champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and David Avanesyan both weighed in successfully on Friday at the weigh-in for their fight this Saturday night on DAZN.
(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Both fighters looked in good shape today. Ennis, 27, seemed to be trying to send a message with the menacing look he gave Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) during their faceoff.
Ennis’s Mission: Claiming the Top Spot
You could tell that Boots wanted to let the challenger know that he meant business and would be coming to knock him out on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) is out to make a statement to the welterweight division to show people he’s now the #1 fighter. He wanted to prove that he was the best by beating Terence Crawford, but moved up to 154 without allowing him to try and defeat him for the belts.
Weights:
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis: 146.4
David Avanesyan: 147
“We’re going to make a big statement here tomorrow and put the welterweight division on notice and take over boxing,” said Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to DAZN after weighing in for his fight against David Avanesyan on Saturday night.
Ennis needs to make a statement to show the fans that he’s the true #1 and not some guy who only got his position due to Crawford moving up to 154. Many boxing fans believe that, and it’s going to take a lot of proving by Boots to make them believe otherwise.
Eddie Hearn’s High Praise and Expectations
“Tomorrow night, they’re going to get behind arguably the #1 pound-for-pound in the sport,” said promoter Eddie Hearn about the fans at the Wells Fargo Center to support Boots Ennis.
Boots Ennis hasn’t fought in a solid year since July 2023, and he didn’t look that great in his last fight against Roiman Villa. If Hearn is right about Ennis being the #1 pound-for-pound, he will need to wipe out the 35-year-old Avanesyan because he can’t get hit as much by him as he was by Villa.
“We’re going to have 13-14,000, and we’re still selling fast. You’re going to get a great night of boxing and a generational talent from Philadelphia to defend his world title tomorrow night,” said Hearn.
“They’re coming out to support one of their own who hands to be the best fighter on the planet. Tomorrow night, with all the pressure in here, he’s got to make a statement, and he’s a special type of fighter to take a statement,” said Hearn.
It will be interesting to see if Hearn can transform Boots Ennis into a PPV attraction that the fans want to see fight. He’s not going to be able to attract fans outside of the ring through his social media posts or interviews because he’s not a great talker.
Fighters like Shakur Stevenson are boring and awful to watch, but he talks a good game in interviews and posts on social media almost as much as Ryan Garcia. That helps with his dull performances. Ennis is the opposite.
“If he performs tomorrow to his full potential, if he sets this place alight tomorrow night, you’ve got a superstar in the world of boxing, and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is going to be around for a long time with this city on his back and the skies the limit,” said Hearn.
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