IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is training hard for his rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) has to rematch Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) after the International Boxing Federation ordered him to defend against his mandatory.
Although Boots had beaten Ukrainian fighter Karen Chukhadzhian by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision in January 2023, he was forced to fight him again because the match had been ordered. Last year, Ennis defeated the defensive-minded fighter by scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 120-108.
Chukhadzhian’s management worked him into the IBF mandatory spot by matching him against these three fighters: Pietro Rossetti, Harry Scarff, and Michel Marcano. Those aren’t household names, but the IBF still thought enough of Karen’s victories to give him a #1 ranking and mandatory position at 147.
The welterweight is very weak at this point, allowing for fighters like Chukhadzhian to rise to the top after beating exclusively non-contenders.
Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, could have maneuvered him around his IBF mandatory if he’d come up with the extra $500,000 that WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. wanted to agree to fight Boots in a unification match in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Brian’s dad, Norman Sr, said they’d accept the $1.7 million offer to fight Ennis, but only if it were in neutral territory. He mentioned wanting the fight staged in Las Vegas, but that was not accepted. Ennis sells a lot of tickets in Philadelphia and would lose out on big money if he fought Norman Jr. in Las Vegas in front of a smaller crowd.
It’s going to be difficult for Ennis to unify the welterweight division if his promoter, Hearn, can’t put the money into getting the other champions to agree to fight him.
In the co-feature for the November 9th card, WBC super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez defends against interim champ Pedro Guevara in a 12-round contest.
Some fans have suggested that this should be the main event, but that’s not what Hearn wants. He’s trying to turn Ennis into a star while he’s signed with his Matchroom company, and he can’t do that if he’s fighting on undercards.
12 rounds of sparring in the bag 🔪 feeling great 😈!
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) September 30, 2024
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