Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he will correct the mistakes he made in his fight against Karen Chukhadzhian last year when he faces her in a rematch in 25 days time on November 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Fans criticized Boots Ennis for his inability to cut off the ring and for appearing one-dimensional in his fight last year against Chukhadzhian on January 7, 2023, in Washington, DC. .
Although Ennis won the bout by a wide 12-round unanimous decision, he showed weakness in his game with his inability to adjust. Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) will defend his IBF welterweight title against mandatory Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) in a 12-round rematch live on DAZN.
Ennis blames himself for his lackluster effort, saying he was too focused on scoring a knockout and not having fun. Ennis needs to look good in the rematch to increase his popularity. His decision making puts him in a tough spot to become a star.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn recently signed Boots and believes he can turn him into a world star, but it doesn’t look promising. Ennis’ decision to stick with welterweight, a weak and barren division, will trap him in years of low-level fighting which will not attract the attention of the wider public. If Ennis was ambitious, he would move up to 154 and possibly become an overnight star.
“I am ready to make a statement. It will be another knockout to come,” Jaron Ennis told YSM Sports Media, about his fight against Karen Chukhadzhian on November 9. “The card is stacked. A second homecoming, and this one is going to be even better.”
Boots didn’t look good in his last fight against David Avanesyan on July 13th in Philadelphia, and he took a lot of heavy shots in that bout. It was Ennis’ first fight under the guidance of Eddie Hearn, and he did not impress.
Ennis scored a sixth-round knockout against 35-year-old Avanesyan, but his performance paled in comparison to Terence Crawford’s scintillating win against the same fighter on December 10, 2022.
“None of that stuff bothers me,” Boots says of the perception that Karen exposed him last year. “It was me in my head. My whole mindset was to knock him out and not have my fun. Once I’m having fun and doing me, that’s when the knockouts come. That’s what I’m going to do this time.”
It would be better for Ennis to keep quiet about what he will do against Chukhadzhian, as there will be less of a backlash afterwards if he struggles again. This guy is all wrong for Ennis in terms of a fighter he shines against, and he should blame Hearn for not coming through with the money to track down a unification fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. Ennis could Norman Jr. next if Hearn increased his offer of $1.7 million to the $2.2 million that Norman Sr.
“I’m going to put on a show, look good doing it, and not look for a knockout,” Ennis said. “I’m glad I went the distance with him. I got all the haters who said I can’t stop. I went 12 rounds with ease. I wasn’t breathing hard. I could have gone 15 more.
“Every fight they go to something where they try to say this or say that. I don’t really care. I go in there and do me. I’m going to put on a show and have fun,” Ennis said.
Work, work, work 🔒 @JaronEnnis#EnnisChukhadzhian | @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/jNszUglobC
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) 14 October 2024
