Philadelphia native and IBF World Welterweight Champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) made his Matchroom Boxing debut and fought in his hometown for the first time in six years, stopping David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) in the fifth round.
Boots Ennis dominated the match by focusing on body attacks and using a variety of combinations to attack his opponent. David Avanesyan sometimes had the advantage using a traditional high guard, but Ennis gradually wore down Avanesyan.
Boots Ennis had a big smile on his face as he made his way to the ring on the night of July 13. As the gong rang, the 27-year-old switch-hitter started the bout in an orthodox stance, then landed some power jabs to keep Avanesyan off-balance.
During the IBF welterweight championship bout, Avanesyan was able to land punches between the champion's punches and had success. Avanesyan tried to fight, but Ennis was too fast, too strong and too skilled for an inferior opponent.
Midway through the fifth round, Avanesyan was leaning on Ennis and landing some powerful punches, but Ennis landed a counter left punch that sent Avanesyan to the canvas. Avanesyan was able to get up to finish the round, but his corner tried to stop the fight.
Jaron Ennis has been very impressive despite being inactive for a full year, but now we are at the stage where we have the familiar question of what's next. Jaron Ennis will have to consider his options of moving up the ranks or staying at 147.
A move up to junior middleweight is probably the most common answer, as if Boots were to move up to 154 it would put him against former two-time unbeaten world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs).
Terence “Bud” Crawford vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis is a fight that boxing fans are excited to see. It pits two fighters with similar skills. Both boxers are highly talented switch-hitters with all the tools at their disposal.
Jaron Ennis can cause trouble for his opponents with his speed, power, punch placement and punch volume, and Terence Crawford gives his opponents similar problems, but Crawford deals his damage more efficiently rather than using more punch volume.
Jaron Ennis wants the fight, but Terence Crawford doesn't seem too interested at the moment. After Ennis beat Avanesyan, Turki Alarczyk tweeted, “I can't wait to see Ennis fight Crawford at 154 pounds.”
Crawford doesn't seem interested in fighting Ennis right now, but it's entirely possible that Turki Alarcik could offer a financial incentive to convince Crawford to take the fight. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Terence Crawford is set to face WBA 154-pound champion Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs).
If Crawford beats Madrimov on August 3, he will likely continue his quest to get a mega-fight with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. If Boots Ennis can't secure a bout with Crawford, a unification fight may be in his future.
Ennis would be the favorite to unify with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, and while a title unification would be a good resume boost, the more lucrative fight for Boots Ennis is at 154 pounds.
A showdown with Terence Crawford would be preferable, but a matchup with Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) is also a very intriguing matchup. Other boxers Ennis could target at 154 pounds are Errol Spence Jr., Sebastian Fandora and Tim Tse.
