IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will make a defense of his belt against replacement opponent David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) next month on July 13th, live on DAZN at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
‘Boots’ Ennis had been scheduled to defend against Cody Crowley, but he had to pull out recently due to medical reasons, leaving Jaron’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, needing to find a fast replacement.
Avanesyan is a similar fighter to Crowley talent-wise and is better known to hardcore boxing fans. He’s been around the sport for a long time. He has had many fights that gained public attention against Terence Crawford, Josh Kelly, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, Lamont Peterson, Shane Mosley, and Kerman Lejarraga.
Ennis-Avaneysan undercard
- Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson
- Skye Nicolson vs. Dyana Vargas
- Khalil Coe vs. Manuel Gallegos
- Henry Lebron vs. Christopher Diaz
Avanesyan Steps Up to the Challenge
The 35-year-old, #4 WBC and #14 IBF welterweight ranked Avanesyan is a WBA 147-lb champion, and he hasn’t seen action inside the ring since his sixth-round knockout defeat against Terence Crawford on December 10th, 2022.
Boots doesn’t have an issue with Avanesysan being used as his substitute opponent, saying, “Now that Crowley is officially not my opponent, I actually like Avanesyan as a better opponent. He will put up a better fight which will be what I want. July 13, don’t miss this beautiful, outstanding performance!”
Avanesyan is seemingly grateful for the title shot, remarking, “Jaron Ennis is a world-class boxer who I respect highly. On July 13, we will find out if he is the real deal.”
Hearn’s Vision for Ennis
Hearn wants Boots to quickly become the undisputed champion at welterweight and then move up to 154 to defeat Crawford before he hangs up his gloves. He’s confident Boots will beat Crawford when he gets to him after rounding up all the belts at 147.
For Boots Ennis to become undisputed at welterweight, he’ll need to beat these champions:
– Mario Barrios
– Eimantas Stanionis
The WBO belt still needs to be stripped from Crawford, who is sitting on it for some reason, even though he’s shown no interest in returning to 147 to defend it. Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs), the WBO interim welterweight champion, could soon be elevated to full champ status.
If the fight can be made, he would be the guy Boots would go after, which is questionable given that he’s with a different promoter and fights on ESPN.
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