Posted by Keith Idec
JARON ENNIS he was considering packing the Wells Fargo Center for one of his fights when he attended a Philadelphia 76ers game there on March 1 so he could practice ringing the Liberty Bell statue on the home court of his hometown NBA team.
Ennis, then embroiled in a lawsuit with his late promoter's widow, didn't realize that he would get that long-desired opportunity just four months later. The undefeated IBF welterweight champion expects to at least box in front of a capacity crowd at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night, when Ennis is scheduled to face Russian David Avanesyan, who trains out of Newark, England.
July 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jaron “Boots” Ennis and David Avanesyan will face each other before their fight on July 13, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom.
Ennis, 27, who grew up about 20 miles north of the Wells Fargo Center in the Germantown section of northwest Philadelphia, will fight in his hometown for the first time since the talented striker nicknamed 'The Boots' knocked out Raymond Serrano. second round of their November 2018 game at the nearby 2300 Arena. Ennis will also end a 53-week layoff against Avanesyan, who is best known to boxing fans for his sixth-round knockout loss to Terence Crawford in December 2022.
“I'm definitely excited to be back in the ring,” Ennis said Debate News. “It's been a good, long year. You know, back then, I was just prepared, always ready, always patient, perfecting my craft. And it's a blessing to be able to fight at the Wells Fargo Center. I've been waiting for you all my life. … I am grateful to be placed in this position. I'm making history in Philadelphia.”
Just as Ennis' long-awaited return represents a reunion of sorts with thousands of his Philadelphia faithful, it's also an opportunity to raise Ennis' profile far beyond the United States.
Ennis signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing three months ago. His new partnership with Matchroom means Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs, 1 NC) will make his DAZN debut against Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs). The Ennis-Avanesyan headlined card will begin broadcasting at 1am BST in the UK.
Ennis' addition marked Matchroom's most significant signing of an American-born boxer since the Eddie Hearn-owned promotion launched Matchroom Boxing USA six years ago. The often hyperbolic Hearn was more successful in praising the versatile, explosive Ennis, who Hearn predicted would become the undisputed champion in many divisions.
“Everybody in boxing knows about this guy,” Hearn said recently. “Now it's time to tell the world. He is talking about pure crystals. He talks about people like Crawford and Spence. What am I talking about? [‘Sugar Ray’] Leonard. I'm just talking about how cute this kid can be. He will shine in Philadelphia. He will light up American boxing. He's going to light up US boxing, world boxing. He has it all – the power to beat everyone. He's stylish, he's fast, he's powerful. If you spell greatness, it's Ennis. And it's time to put him to the test. This boy, I tell you, is the future of the game.”
Each of Ennis' past 12 fights was televised by Showtime live on that premium cable network or during a Showtime-distributed pay-per-view. Derek 'Bozy' Ennis – Jaron's father, manager and trainer – and his son were determined to continue competing on cards created by Premier Boxing Champions founder Al Haymon after the death of Ennis' former promoter Cameron Dunkin on 2 January because of the long war. and cancer.
Jaron Ennis in action (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Ennis was not officially affiliated with the PBC and therefore was not properly prioritized by Haymon. Showtime had a multi-fight deal with Ennis, who was paid more than $1 million in purses for each of his last five fights with the network.
Paramount Global, Showtime's parent company, ended its Showtime Sports division at the end of 2023, ending the network's 36-year run in boxing and further complicating Ennis' involvement with the PBC. Ennis' management directly dealt with Stephen Espinoza, Showtime's former president of sports and event programming.
Espinoza tried to keep Ennis in line with PBC after Showtime pulled out of the boxing business, but Haymon's first three cards since partnering with Amazon's Prime Video have all been pay-per-views. Haymon doesn't have a pay-per-view event scene, eliminating Ennis' chances to headline those types of cards.
Ennis eventually sued NOW Boxing Promotions for breach of contract, reportedly because he was concerned that Dunkin's widow, Kellie Dunkin, could not adequately supervise his career due to her lack of experience in the boxing business. NOW and Ennis agreed to an undisclosed deal in March, enabling Ennis to shop his services to top sports promoters.
Ennis hoped to box interim WBC champion Mario Barrios on PBC pay-per-view cards in March and then June. The Barrios fight failed to materialize, however, and Ennis ended the frustrating guessing game by signing with Matchroom.
“I feel like I have to stay busy,” said Ennis, “to stay in the ring, to fight, to stay sharp, to be able to collect more of these belts.” That's what's important to me now.”
The full version of this article appears in Latest Boxing News. Shop here to learn.
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