The winner becomes the next mandatory challenger for the IBF belt currently held by Lewis Crocker.
Chukhadzhian’s continued presence near the top of the rankings is notable because he has already had two opportunities against Ennis. Both fights ended in clear decisions for the Philadelphia fighter, but the IBF contender system repeatedly pushed Chukhadzhian back into position.
His first title challenge came in January 2023, when Ennis defeated him by decision to capture the interim IBF belt. The loss ended a 20-fight winning streak for Chukhadzhian, whose only previous loss came in his second professional fight during a one-night Super 8 tournament.
Rather than fall away from the title picture, Chukhadzhian quickly rebuilt. He won three straight fights after the loss, including a decision over Harry Scarff in May 2024 that returned him to IBF contendership.
That run secured him another meeting with Ennis. P2M-Box won the purse for the rematch, although the bout ultimately ended up on a Matchroom card in Philadelphia. Chukhadzhian was knocked down in the fifth round, but again lasted the distance before dropping a second decision.
Two more wins have followed since that fight, including a second-round knockout of Joel Mafauad last October in Riga, Latvia.
Those wins kept him high enough in the IBF rankings to clinch the upcoming eliminator with Donovan, putting him one step away from the title again.
Donovan arrives at the fray after a tumultuous stretch tied to his rivalry with Crocker. He was disqualified in their first meeting last March after knocking Crocker down just after the bell in the eighth round. Their rematch for the vacant IBF belt in September ended in a decisive victory for Crocker after Donovan was knocked down twice.
The Irish southpaw was later scheduled to face Liam Paro in another eliminator earlier this year, but pulled out after falling ill during training camp. Paro moved into the mandatory position and secured a title fight with Crocker. That series saw Donovan match up with Chukhadzhian in the IBF’s next eliminator.
According to IBF rules, both fighters must remain available for the purse bid process. If either boxer takes another fight before the eliminator is resolved, the sanctioning body can remove him from the rankings and bar him from IBF-sanctioned fights for six months.
