Jaron “Boots” Ennis defended his IBF welterweight title with a TKO victory over David Avanesyan on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Ennis knocked Avanesyan down in the fifth round, with the challenger looking exhausted as he returned to his corner.
Before the sixth round began, the referee stopped the bout on the advice of the ringside doctor.
“I knew I was too strong for him,” Ennis said. “I should have listened to my corner a little bit more. I should have thrown a little more jab, got a little closer to the body, got more angles. … I'll be OK.”
It was the 27-year-old Ennis' first title defense and improved his record to 32-0, solidifying his status as one of boxing's rising stars. Ennis has scored knockouts in his last 29 bouts.
Ennis, a Philadelphia native, fought in front of a hometown crowd of about 14,000 after taking a year off.
“I was definitely a little sick,” he said. “It's OK, I got the job done.”
Fighting and winning in his hometown was “phenomenal,” he said.
Ennis has indicated that he would like to fight Terence Crawford, even if it means moving up from his current weight class of 147 to 154 pounds.
“I want a big name,” he said.
The 35-year-old Avanesyan said the bout was his final chance to win a world title. His record now reads 30-5-1.
Round-by-round analysis of Ennis vs. Avanesyan and highlights from the card:
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, Round 1
Ennis lands a quick jab. Avanesyan blocks. Avanesyan sneaks a right but Ennis has the early advantage, now attacking the body and ducking the punch. Avanesyan eats a low blow, then a right uppercut, and falls to the ground, his face in agony. After five minutes of recovery, the crowd is growing restless. The match resumes, with Ennis still on the offensive. Ennis 10, Avanesyan 9.
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, Round 2
Ennis attacks, but Avanesyan fires back. Avanesyan follows up, finding his target with a variety of punches. Great exchange. Ennis 20, Avanesyan 18.
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, Round 3
Ennis shows good power and volume, but it's clear Avanesyan isn't going to go down without a fight. Ennis picks up the pace even more. Ennis is dodging the ropes, landing uppercuts and content to take punches along the way. Ennis 30, Avanesyan 27.
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, Round 4
Ennis looks calm as Avanesyan closes in. He's already shown off much of his wide repertoire, hurting Avanesyan's body. Avanesyan throws punches, but doesn't land many. Ennis shows a little showmanship. Ennis 40, Avanesyan 36.
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan, Round 5
Ennis misses a hard right and slips. Avanesyan celebrates as Ennis drops to his knees. Avanesyan lands a hard uppercut, then falls to the canvas for a moment. Slips and slips. Avanesyan tries his best here, does his best to turn the tide. Avanesyan goes down. Throws a punch, then takes another big one! But he gets up and the fight continues. Ennis attacks. Avanesyan is somehow still on his feet. Ennis 50, Avanesyan 44.
The match ended. The referee stopped the match on the advice of the ringside doctor. Ennis won by TKO.
Next up, the main event
The welterweight bout will be between Jaron Ennis and David Avanesyan, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Avanesyan gets in the ring and Ennis goes his way.
Jalil Hackett defeats Peter Dobson by unanimous decision
The 21-year-old Hackett dominated the early stages of the 10-round welterweight bout to improve to 9-0.
When the bout ended, Hackett was bleeding from under his right eye, but he clearly landed the more powerful punches and inflicted more damage on his opponent.
The judges scored the fight 97-93, 97-93, 96-94.
The 34-year-old Dobson came on in the closing stages but lost 16-2.
Round-by-round analysis:
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 1
Hackett breaks away quickly, lands a left jab, and follows up with a combination. Dobson counters with a left. The fight is on. Hackett keeps attacking, but Dobson counters. Hackett 10, Dobson 9.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 2
They collide in the center of the ring, punches flying, but Hackett has more power. Dobson is more strategic and targeted, but Hackett lands more punches. Hackett 20, Dobson 18.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 3
Hackett is still in control, which means they're trading blows and blows. Hackett starts to aim for Dobson's body, but Dobson fires back with a right hook. Hackett 30, Dobson 27.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 4
The 21-year-old Hackett doesn't take a break and lands several hard left hooks on Dobson, slowing him down. Hackett now throws punches with all his might, but Dobson keeps fighting. Hackett 40, Dobson 36.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 5
Hackett on the offensive early here. Dobson backs off, out of space. The 34-year-old Dobson looks out of gas early. Large welt on the left side of Dobson's forehead. Hackett 50, Dobson 45.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 6
It's no surprise then that Hackett comes out strong, attacking Dobson's head and body. Dobson shows new energy but not enough power to slow Hackett. Hackett 60, Dobson 54.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 7
The bump on the left side of Dobson's forehead is from an elbow from Hackett. It doesn't seem to have had any effect on the fight. There were some notable exchanges, but Hackett seems to have the upper hand. Dobson is the stronger and taking more risks. Hackett 69, Dobson 64.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 8
Hackett was undeterred by Dobson's best round and went after him again, only to be met with a combination from Dobson: Hackett 78, Dobson 74.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 9
Dobson's corner wants more. Hackett isn't going to be roughed up. He lands a jab, the exchange continues. The pace slows. Hackett 88, Dobson 83.
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, Round 10
Both fighters, especially Dobson, showed great energy in the 10th round, as the final minute turned the fight into a ferocious brawl. Hackett 97, Dobson 93.
Next up: Welterweight Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson
10 rounds planned
Skye Nicholson defeats Diana Vargas by unanimous decision
Nicholson defeated Vargas in a dominant 10-round bout to retain his WBC featherweight title.
All three judges scored the fight 100-90 in favor of Nicholson, the 28-year-old Australian who was virtually untouched as he improved to 11-0.
Vargas, who was on the offensive for much of the fight, even pretended to be a chicken at one point as Nicholson backed away, but Vargas repeatedly dodged punches while Nicholson showed superior footwork and accuracy.
Vargas, 32, from the Dominican Republic, improved to 19-2.
Skye Nicholson vs. Diana Vargas, featherweight
Round 1: Vargas ducks and dives in. Nicholson fights in a more traditional stance and lands a jab. Nicholson continues to score. Nicholson 10, Vargas 9.
Round 2: Vargas is coming after her but still not connecting with any big punches. In fact, she takes a few punches from Nicholson, but Nicholson shows precision. Nicholson 20, Vargas 18.
Round 3: Vargas charges in again, lands a right, but the fight becomes melee. Nicholson keeps his distance, firing jabs and lefts. Vargas mimics Nicholson backing away by doing a chicken move, then lands a punch to fight back. Nicholson 30, Vargas 27.
Round 4: Same action. Vargas cornering Nicholson and landing punches. Nicholson shows better footwork and defense. Nicholson 40, Vargas 36.
Round 5: Vargas manages to close the distance, but Nicholson escapes before Vargas has a chance to land a punch. Nicholson lands a few hard lefts, but Vargas gets to his feet and the round ends. Nicholson 50, Vargas 45.
Round 6: This is turning into a shooting practice for Nicholson, with good use of his right jab and left punch. Nicholson 60, Vargas 54.
Round 7: Nicholson doesn't need much ice to reduce the swelling at this point, and his face looks mostly unscathed. The same can't be said for Vargas, who's taken some heavy blows. Nicholson 70, Vargas 63.
Round 8: Vargas lands a right. Notable after so many misses. Vargas looks more aggressive but is again caught by lefts and jabs. Nicholson 80, Vargas 72.
Round 9: Vargas not holding back. Nicholson doesn't seem to like getting physical here, but she's still landing jabs and lefts. Vargas spins around taking the hits. Nicholson looks to be smiling. Nicholson 90, Vargas 81.
Round 10: Nicholson again tattles Vargas' face with a right-left combo. This time Nicholson is more relentless, making Vargas struggle by pretending to be a chicken. Vargas is bleeding from under his left eye. He continues to pretend to be a chicken until the end of the fight. Nicholson 100, Vargas 90
In the light heavyweight bout, Coe defeated Ritter by TKO in the second round.
The 27-year-old New Jersey native has a record of 9 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, and has now knocked out six of his opponents.
Ritter, who entered the match as a late substitute, came out strong in the first round, but Ko turned the tide in the next round.
Coe dropped Ritter with an overhand right early in the second round and continued to dominate his opponent until the referee stopped the bout with 61 seconds left in the round.
Ritter, 33, of Maryland, improved to 11-2.
Khalil Coe vs. Kwame Ritter, light heavyweight
Round 1: Ritter attacks first, attacking the body and head. Coe settles in and counters. Coe comes on the offensive with a jab. But Ritter stays aggressive throughout the round. Ritter 10, Coe 9.
Round 2: Coe is more aggressive, leading with the jab. He then lands a right hand that takes Ritter down. He is hit with an overhand right. Ritter is up and ready to fight. Coe overpowers Ritter and the referee stops the fight with a minute left in the round.
Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan match times
The main card will begin at 8pm ET, with the ring walk for Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan scheduled for approximately 10:40pm ET.
How to watch Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan
This fight will be available to watch on DAZN. There is no pay-per-view fee, but a subscription is required.
Jaron Ennis' match card
Skye Nicholson vs. Diana Vargas, featherweight
Christopher Diaz vs. Darin Hernandez, super featherweight
Khalil Coe vs. Manuel Gallegos, light heavyweight
Jalil Hackett vs. Peter Dobson, welterweight
Christian Kalt vs. Carlos Buitrago, bantamweight
Ismail Muhammad vs. Frank Brown, super lightweight
Dennis Thompson vs. Fernando Valdez, bantamweight
Predictions for Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan
Tom Gray, Sporting News: I've seen Ennis fight enough times to know it takes a special fighter to beat him. Avanesyan can hit hard, he's brave, he's tough… but he's not special. Prediction: Ennis wins by 5th round KO.
James Slater, Boxing News 24/7: “Watch for more tenacity from (Avanesyan) and more special plays from Boots using his extensive repertoire. Prediction: Boots wins by stoppage within the eighth round.”
Jaron Ennis' record
31 wins, 0 losses, 28 KOs
David Avanesyan's record
30 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw, 18 KOs
Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan fight odds
BetMGM: Ennis -2000 favored, Avanesyan +1200 unfavorable
FanDuel: Ennis -1800, Avanesyan +1100
DraftKings: Ennis -2500, Avanesian +1200
Boots Ennis vs Crawford
Depending on who you believe, Crawford either avoided Ennis or Ennis avoided Crawford, but Ennis has now made it clear that he wants to fight Crawford.
Ennis vs Crowley
Cody Crowley, who was originally scheduled to fight Ennis, was forced to withdraw from the bout due to fluid buildup in his right eye.
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