IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is coaching arduous for his rematch in opposition to Karen Chukhadzhian on November ninth on the Wells Fargo Heart in Philadelphia.
Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) has to rematch Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) after the Worldwide Boxing Federation ordered him to defend in opposition to his obligatory.
Though Boots had crushed Ukrainian fighter Karen Chukhadzhian by a lopsided 12-round unanimous choice in January 2023, he was compelled to battle him once more as a result of the match had been ordered. Final yr, Ennis defeated the defensive-minded fighter by scores of 120-108, 120-108, and 120-108.
Chukhadzhian’s administration labored him into the IBF obligatory spot by matching him in opposition to these three fighters: Pietro Rossetti, Harry Scarff, and Michel Marcano. These aren’t family names, however the IBF nonetheless thought sufficient of Karen’s victories to offer him a #1 rating and obligatory place at 147.
The welterweight could be very weak at this level, permitting for fighters like Chukhadzhian to rise to the highest after beating completely non-contenders.
Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, may have maneuvered him round his IBF obligatory if he’d give you the additional $500,000 that WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. needed to conform to battle Boots in a unification match in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Brian’s dad, Norman Sr, stated they’d settle for the $1.7 million provide to battle Ennis, however provided that it had been in impartial territory. He talked about wanting the battle staged in Las Vegas, however that was not accepted. Ennis sells a whole lot of tickets in Philadelphia and would lose out on massive cash if he fought Norman Jr. in Las Vegas in entrance of a smaller crowd.
It’s going to be tough for Ennis to unify the welterweight division if his promoter, Hearn, can’t put the cash into getting the opposite champions to conform to battle him.
Within the co-feature for the November ninth card, WBC tremendous flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez defends in opposition to interim champ Pedro Guevara in a 12-round contest.
Some followers have instructed that this must be the primary occasion, however that’s not what Hearn desires. He’s making an attempt to show Ennis right into a star whereas he’s signed along with his Matchroom firm, and he can’t try this if he’s combating on undercards.
12 rounds of sparring within the bag 🔪 feeling nice 😈!
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) September 30, 2024
