IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) and Kark Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) both made weight on Friday for their headliner this Saturday night, live on DAZN at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Ennis has promised to score a knockout over Chukhadzhian this time around after winning an unimpressive 12-round unanimous decision last year on January 7th in Washington, D.C.
Boots could have avoided this fight if he’d moved up to 154, but he told his promoter Eddie Hearn that he wants to stay at welterweight long enough to become undisputed. Hearn agreed, so, this is why this lackluster fight is happening a second time.
If Boots can’t figure out Chukhadzhian again, at there will be WBC super flyweight champion Jess ‘Bam’ Rodriguez to save the night with his defense against Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) in the chief support bout. Rodriguez-Guevara is expected to be an entertaining brawl, and not the track meet the main event clash will be.
Weights on DAZN at 7 pm. ET
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 146 vs. Karen Chukhadzhian 146.6
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez 114.8 vs. Pedro Guevara 114.4
Raymond Ford 130 vs. Orlando Gonzalez 130
Khalil Coe 175 vs. Manuel Gallegos 174
Austin Williams vs. GIAN GARRIDO 162.2
Prelims at 5:15 pm ET
Ismail Muhammad 145.8 vs. Nelson Morales 145.8
Zaquin Moses 129.6 vs. Michael Ruiz 129.6
Dennis Thompson 121.8 vs. Edgar Ortiz Jr. 121.2
“Brian Norman was out of his depth, and he never had a chance to think about it or think smart. They turned it down, and then they came back with a silly number,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing News about the failed negotiations between ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr.
This was a missed opportunity for Ennis to get a unification fight when he was close to getting it. All that was needed was an extra $500,000 to get the deal done and Ennis would have had his first unification fight.
“Then they came back thinking they sort of dropped the ball by asking for a silly number. It was a mess. Stanionis and Barrios. Barrios has a fight coming up next week. These guys, their promoters, are not going to be able to service these guys.
“They’re going to have to fight guys like Boots for a big money shot. So, I hope they have an appetite. I hope they’re going to want to fight him because he’s really good. I get sometimes people don’t want to fight him because he’s so good. Let’s see what happens tomorrow night, but we want those unifications,” said Hearn.
The $1.7 million that Hearn reportedly offered Brian Norman Jr. to fight Boots isn’t considered “big” money when you compare that to what fighters have been making in the Riyadh Season cards. When the welterweight champions hear that Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Anthony Joshua are making $100 million, they’re not going to be pleased to fight Boots Ennis for $1 million+. That’s not big money to them.
“[Shakhram] Giyasov is going to have to fight Stanionis. Now, hopefully, Giyasov can win, but again, it’s Stanionis. Outside of Riyadh Season, where are you going to get the big paydays for him, and he’s not going to get the call for Riyadh Season,” said Hearn.
What Hearn says about the other champions at welterweight needing to fight Boots Ennis if they want to get the money still won’t make those fights happen if he doesn’t offer them massive life-changing money.
The three champions at 147 that Boots needs to fight to become undisputed would be underdogs against him, and it’s not worth it for them to give away their titles to him for less than what they’re hoping to get. Some likely hope that Turki Alalshikh will show interest in placing them on his Riyadh Season cards, where they’ll make massive dough. So, why would they ever agree to fight Boots Ennis for a million and a half?
