Tonight, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hometown boxer Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) defends his IBF championship against mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs). They fought each other once before, in January of 2023.
In one of the few Boots fights that have gone the distance. A match where Karen appeared to be fighting for his survival rather than to be legitimately competitive. Karen landed a lowly 97 punches on 573 thrown, with 5 of them being jabs.
His output was similar to Boot’s, with 592 thrown in comparison to his 573, but his offensive attack was extremely ineffective. Karen promises to be much more aggressive this time around, with a killer instinct aiming to do what’s needed to earn the victory. Intention and reality may be different, though.
In his match against Harry Scarff, he employed a similar strategy during exchanges where he found himself being overpowered. Ennis is naturally the stronger boxer; how Karen overcomes his strength is something to be seen, as it could be physically impossible for him.
Jaron Ennis appears poised to challenge the best of the best in the sport. It’s rumored he may soon move up to the very competitive junior welterweight division (154 pounds) to challenge top stars like Vergil Ortiz Jr and Ryan Garcia. He would like a match against one of the top pound-for-pound stars, Terence Crawford, but Bud appears much more interested in a mega fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Before Boots challenges the elite in the sport, he must first get past Chukhadzhian and do so impressively. He struggled to cut the ring off effectively in the first match, allowing Karen to circle the ring the entire night. Ennis has, however, improved since that match, earning victories against Roiman Villa and David Avanesyan.
Boots is a gym rat and spends immense time in the gym perfecting his craft. In his second match with Matchroom and consecutive one at the Wells Fargo Center, Boots aims to give his hometown crowd a show. His profile and superstar status will continue to grow as will his competition.
In the first match against Chukhadzhian, Ennis landed 46 percent of his power punches but only landed 20 percent of his jabs (Compubox). The jab will be key this time around and will allow him to set up his combinations. It could also potentially allow him to score the knockout victory he much sought out in the first match. Effectively cutting the ring off and controlling the distance will minimize Karen’s mobility and, ultimately, his ability to survive.
Can Boots score the knockout? If he does so, he’ll demonstrate his progression and ability to adapt. Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn have been going at it on social media about a possible 5 versus 5 fight card featuring Golden Boy boxers against Matchroom boxers. Potential matchups have included Jaron Ennis versus Ryan Garcia or Jarron Ennis versus Vergil Ortiz Jr. If either match comes to fruition, it will give Boots the superstar fight, he’s been clamoring for.
Read the full article here
