Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0-0, 29 KOs) successfully defended his IBF welterweight world title in front of the home crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as part of the event organized by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. The American forced challenger David “Ava” Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) to retire after five dominant rounds, including a spectacular knockdown. For Ennis, this marked the first defense of the title he obtained after former champion Terence Crawford chose to move up to super welterweight.
As we previewed, Jaron Ennis was keen to outdo his compatriot Crawford, who took six rounds to knock out the tenacious Avanesyan. Boots indeed showcased his intent to employ a strong approach from the start, standing in the center of the ring and engaging in battle without taking any rounds to study his opponent. However, his adrenaline almost played a trick on him when, after being unbalanced by Avanesyan’s arm, he struck clearly below the belt, prompting referee Eric Dali to stop the time to allow the challenger to recover from the impact.
The match continued without any points deducted from the champion, and it became clear to all spectators that the difference in level between the two athletes would soon be decisive. Avanesyan certainly didn’t look bad; the Armenian tried with his usual courage to apply his characteristic relentless pressure and even managed to land some commendable shots to the head, but he did so at a high price. Ennis overwhelmed him with heavy blows, alternating between head and body shots and constantly changing trajectories to render the challenger’s tight defense ineffective.
Avanesyan began to show signs of discouragement in the fourth round when his attacks became more sporadic and less determined, while Boots continued to seem to enjoy his relentless bombardment. Trying to raise the pace of the fight again proved to be a fatal choice for the challenger: immediately after landing a nice right hand in the fifth round, Ava was knocked down by a sudden left from his opponent. Ennis’s action was reminiscent of the deadly knockdown Gennady Golovkin inflicted on Australian Daniel Geale in 2014: the American launched his punch while still absorbing his rival’s blow, managing to produce tangible damage nonetheless. It should be noted that Ennis performed a similar feat during his quick victory over Thomas Dulorme in 2021, demonstrating his extreme resilience and incredible muscular explosiveness.
Avanesyan got up and, with great heart, made it to the end of the round, but after returning to his stool and being examined by the doctor, he was wisely stopped by his corner, aware that continuing would only result in further damage. The Armenian’s left eye was almost closed, and his chances of getting back into the fight seemed non-existent.
Some may argue that Ennis’s performance was not perfect since the American, despite clearly winning all the rounds, took some seemingly avoidable hits. However, the feeling here is that after assessing his rival’s power early on, Ennis realized he was not at significant risk and deliberately chose to fight a thrilling fight to deliver a decisive victory for his Philadelphia fans. Allowing something to the challenger enabled Boots to showcase his full offensive potential, entertaining the audience and raising great expectations for his future bouts.
Currently, there don’t seem to be any rivals capable of troubling Ennis at the 147-pound limit; we’ll see if the American, in consultation with his promoter Eddie Hearn, will aim for the unification of the welterweight belts or decide to move up in weight for more prestigious challenges.