Promoter Eddie Hearn is set to announce a replacement opponent for Jaron “Boots” Ennis in his IBF welterweight title defense on July 13 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Cody Crowley, Ennis's scheduled opponent, pulled out yesterday due to eye problems, leaving Hearn scrambling to find a replacement to secure the July 13 fight date.
Hearn said the July 13 fight card is still scheduled, and named the following three opponents as possible contenders to face Ennis on that day:
- Gabriel Golas Valenzuela: Ranked #13 by the IBF, Goraz is a decent runner-up contender with a record of 28 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw and 17 knockouts. Goraz is coming off a loss to Montana Love in 2022 and has three wins over second-rate opponents. Not a great replacement considering his loss to Love, but a decent fighter.
- Shahram Giyasov: He is ranked 15th in the IBF rankings, but his abilities are still unknown in his six-year professional career. He participated in the 2016 Olympics and won against veteran Pablo Cesar Cano.
- David Avanesian: Casual boxing fans have probably heard of Avanesyan and only know of his sixth-round knockout loss to Terence Crawford in 2022. The problem with using Avanesyan is that he would need to take a two-year break to take on this bout.
None of the three are particularly good, but they're on the same level as Cody Crowley in terms of talent and fan recognition.
Hahn's statement on the search for a successor
“At this point, we are in the process of announcing an alternative opponent. Of course, [July 13th] “The show will go on, with a new opponent from the top 15 of the rankings,” promoter Eddie Hearn told iFL TV about the likely opponent for IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis to defend his title in the main event on July 13 in Philadelphia.
Hearn now finds himself in the tricky position of having to quickly find a replacement for his clash with Boots Ennis with just a month to prepare for the fight.
The IBF's top 15 is a very limited pool of contenders available to face Boots right away, with many of the big names on the list suffering losses and unable to fight Ennis in July.
“We want to make sure we meet our mandatory obligations. [with the IBF]”I expect it to be a great fight, and I think it will probably be announced tonight,” Hearn continued of Ennis' replacement opponent.
Ideally, it would be best if Boots Ennis could fulfil his IBF obligations as one of the alternate opponents for the July 13 bout, but it is unclear whether the International Boxing Federation would be on board with Hearn's idea.
The last thing Hearn and Boots want is to have to reschedule a fight with Crowley, a fighter who is relatively unknown to Americans, and one that would not generate much buzz among fans. Plus, Boots doesn't want to have to pull out of the fight because of eye problems.
“Now we have to go down the rankings and decide the best match for him. I like the Goraz match. [Gabriel Valenzuela]”I think it would be a good fight. Shahram Giyasov. Avanesyan would be a good fight,” Hearn said of his possible options for the July 13 fight against Ennis.
