Promoter Eddie Hearn told Blair Cobbs last Saturday night that if he fights and beats Karen Chukhadzhian, he’ll get him a “Major fight.”
(Credit: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom Boxing)
Cobbs crashed the post-fight press conference for IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis following his 12-round unanimous decision win over Chukhadzhian at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Hearn Offers Cobbs a Deal
The 34-year-old Cobbs (17-1-1, 10 KOs) asked Hearn to let him be the next opponent Boots Ennis. That idea didn’t go over well with Hearn, who rejected it and told Cobbs that he could fight Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) next. Hearn said he would even put the Chukhadzhian-Cobbs fight on one of his cards.
Not surprisingly, Cobbs didn’t bite, perhaps knowing that his chances of defeating Chukhadzhian would be slim and none. In Cobbs’ case, beggars can’t be choosers. If Cobbs did somehow defeat Chukhadzhian, he could potentially get a fight against Ennis or Conor Benn, which would make him life-changing money. It may not be enough to retire on, but he could possibly buy a nice house in The Ridges in Las Vegas.
This might be about as good as it gets. He’s not going to get any better offers at this point, as he’s not ranked in the top 15 by any of the four sanctioning bodies and will turn 35 on December 30th.
If Cobbs loses to Chukhadzhian, he’s right back where he started from. He’s beaten no one of note during his career other than Adrien Broner, and that’s not good enough to get a title shot against Boots. Cobbs lost to Alexis Rocha by a ninth-round knockout on March 19th, 2022. Since then, Cobbs has won his last two fights against 35-year-old Maurice Hooker and Adrien Broner.
“Look, we know the two options that you want to pick, but there’s still a third option. That third option is the most exciting man in boxing, Blair “The Flair” fighting Jaron “Boots” Ennis in a major hit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” said Cobbs to promoter Eddie Hearn at the Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
“I got a good fight for you, Karen Chukhadzhian,” Hearn said. “I’ll tell you what I will do. I will put the fight on, you against Karen. You beat him, we’ll get you a major fight.”
If you’re Cobbs, you got to accept the offer from Hearn because there’s too much to gain if he wins. Saying no to it would mean that he’ll continue to fight washed up fighters until he ages out, and he’ll never get a whiff of a world title shot ever again.
