IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) weighed in at 146 pounds, while challenger Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) came in at 146.6 pounds for their 12-round clash this Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
WBC Super Flyweight Champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) weighed in at 114.8 pounds, and Challenger Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) weighed in at 114.4 pounds for their 12-round co- function came. attack on the map.
Saturday’s Ennis vs. Chukhadzhain meeting will be shown live on DAZN starting at 7:00 PM ET.
Weights
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 146 vs. Karen Chukhadjian 146.6
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez 114.8 vs. Pedro Guevara 114.4
There isn’t much fan interest in this card despite the promotional muscle that Matchroom and DAZN have put behind it. The problem is that there is no demand for a rematch between Boots and Chukhadzhian in the main event. Bam Rodriguez, 24, is not well known among casual boxing fans for these reasons:
– Youth
– Fight in lower weight classes
– Lack of experience against elite level competition
“It cost me a lot of money, but what do you want me to do about it? Struggling? Those are the rules,” said Eddie Hearn Boxing News about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis being ordered to fight Karen Chukhadzhian in a rematch, which few people are excited to see.
Hearn could have put his foot down and refused to allow Ennis to fight Chukhadzhian in a rematch because it’s a move that hurts both. Ennis’ career will be stunted with these types of fights, and it does nothing for Hearn.
“I really admire the IBF for sticking to their rules, but it frustrates the life out of me that they don’t apply common sense to this station. We wanted more time to have the Brian Norman fight for the unification fight,” Hearn said.
Even with more negotiating time, Hearn would not have the unification bout with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. for Boots because he wanted more money than he was willing to pay. Hearn could have had years, but he still wouldn’t have done the deal without coming up with the extra $500,000 Norman Jr.
“We didn’t have time. We had a purse bid. It was either lose your belt or fight Chukhadzhian,” Hearn said. “I said to Boots: ‘Tell me what you want to do, mate. I will support you 100%. If I have to hold the money for this fight, I’ll hold the money because it’s part of a long-term plan. You’re going to rule the sport for a long time.'”
We don’t know if Ennis will rule the sport for much longer, as Hearn says. We know if Boots stays at welterweight he might be able to hold on to his IBF title for a long time, but that’s only because the division is weak. This is perhaps the worst level in 20+ years. All the talented fighters are at 154, and Boots doesn’t want to move up for some reason. Is it fear? Some boxing fans believe this is why Boots would have the easy pickings at junior middleweight, which he does at 147.
The best fighters at 147:
- Jaron Ennis
- Brian Norman
- Mario Barrios
- Eimantas Stanionis
- Ryan Garcia
- Devin Haney
“He said, ‘I want the belts at 147.’ I said, ‘Let’s fight him then. Get it done. I’m going to build a massive map. Let’s make it happen. So, we did that, and Saturday night I think we’re going to have a good fight,” Hearn said.
If Ennis is going to stay at welterweight until he achieves his goal of going undisputed, he must be willing to sacrifice time in his career. As long as Ennis is okay with staying at welterweight for another three or four years to achieve his goal, he’ll be fine. He may be in his 30s by the time he does, and it will be more difficult for him to make the transition to the 154-lb weight class when he does move up.
 weighed in at 146 lbs, while Challenger Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) came in at 146.6 pounds){kind=link}