For the past six days, Eddie Hearn has been tireless in proclaiming Jaron Ennis as the heir to the welterweight throne recently vacated by Terence Crawford. And tonight, on his home turf of Philadelphia, for the first time, he showed exactly why.
Ennis, or ‘Boots’ as he is more affectionately known in boxing circles, slowly broke down seasoned pro David Avanesyan to stop him after five rounds and successfully defend his IBF title.
Avanesyan, 35, started out positively in the lion’s den, but as the fight progressed it quickly became apparent that he was neither sharp enough nor strong enough to overcome the 27-year-old sensation from Philadelphia, who brought thousands of his hometown fans to the Wells Fargo Centre, home of the city’s NBA and NHL teams, on Saturday night.
It took him a while to get into a rhythm, and the challenger enjoyed some success in taking the fight to a war at close range, but from the third round onwards Ennis put his heels together and began to work his magic.
In the fifth round, Avanesyan rocked him with a pair of well-timed uppercuts that almost seemed to propel him into the brutal attack that followed.
As his opponent pressed and pressed in an attempt to complicate things on the inside, Boots sent him to the canvas with a thunderous left hook that all but sealed his victory. For the rest of the round and the fight, Avanesyan had to do his best to weather the storm, but what a storm it was, as Ennis left him reeling with some slashing blows to the head and body.
After taking a beating at the end of the fifth round, the ringside doctor informed the referee that enough was enough and the hometown hero had retained his championship to the delight of his adoring home crowd.
In Crawford, who conquered the 146-pound scene before moving up to junior welterweight, there aren’t many bigger acts for Ennis to follow in this division as he looks to carve out a glittering career of his own.
However, this simple night at the office proves that if anyone can fill those shoes, it’s Boots.