IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 32-0 (29) returned to the ring for the first time in a year with a dominant fifth-round stoppage of David Avanesyan 30-5-1 (18) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old Philly switch-hitter entered the ring to the raucous cheers of the 14,000-strong home crowd who turned up in force to support the local hero.
After quickly establishing his jab, Ennis strayed low when Avanesyan pulled his head down in a clinch midway through the opening round. Avanesyan crumpled to the canvas and was given up to five minutes to recover from the blow by referee Eric Dali.
Undeterred by the low blow, Ennis continued to attack the body with both fists in the second and in the third, he snapped home three right uppercuts. Any time Avanesyan managed to sneak a blow through, he was met with a receipt.
The damage Avanesyan was suffering was clear on his face. The right side of his jaw was swollen and suspected to be broken.
Ennis continued to mix up his attack in the fifth, switching deftly from body to head and back again. Russian-born Armenian Avanesyan, 35, had no answer for Ennis’ speed and accuracy.
The punishment for Avanesyan continued in the fifth and only got worse when he had the temerity to connect with a right hand to Ennis’ jaw. The champion matched him with a left hook to the chin that send the challenger to the canvas.
Ennis continued to press the action until the bell, when a deflated Avanesyan moved slowly back to his corner where the fight was stopped.
Despite his dominance, Ennis wasn’t entirely happy with the win.
“I felt good, but I felt off a little bit,” Ennis said in the ring. “I didn’t think I was going to have no ring rust because I’ve been in the gym 24/7, but I did feel a little off. But that’s okay, you know, I got the job done. I was in shape. I could have gone 15 rounds, easy.
“I just kept pressing him, I knew I was too strong for him. We prepare all the way around the board. I could have gone to the body a little more and used more angles.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn had a different view.
“If he thinks that performance was off, the world of boxing ought to be very, very afraid,” the Matchroom Boxing boss said. “He’s the future of boxing. That’s what he is.
“I’ll say it, I think he beats everyone. I think this is a special fighter that needs to be tested against the best in the world and that’s our job now. Activity is key.
“Too many of these great young fighters are too inactive. We must get him back out October, November, we’d love to return to Philadelphia. We got to bring the bigger fights here, the unification fights. He’s going to be around for a long time.”
In an ideal world, Ennis would be facing former undipsuted welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31).
“Most definitely, let’s make it happen,” Ennis said. “That’s what I want. I want the big names, Terence Crawford, anybody in that weight that gotta big name, let’s get it.”
Omaha, Nebraska southpaw Crawford, 36, is set to return to the ring against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov 10-0-1 (7) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California on August 3.