Jaron Ennis’ win over David Avanesyan was impressive, as he defended his IBF Welterweight Title for the first time.
Ennis fought for the first time in his hometown of Philadelphia on his Matchroom debut. His future target, Terence Crawford, stopped Avanesyan in round six in 2022, retaining his WBO Welterweight Title. Ennis did just as good, if not better. He dominated his opponent from the start, although a low blow sent Avanesyan to the canvas at the end of the first round. From thereon, Ennis dominated.
Compubox
The Compubox numbers showed that Ennis connected with 47 percent of his punches, which landed on the body. Meanwhile, 53 percent of those body shots were power punches. Ennis landed 32 out of 53 power punches when the fight was stopped. Ennis had landed 124 power punches by the end of the fight compared to his opponent’s 47.
The total number of punches landed was 152 for Ennis and 53 for Avanesyan. Ennis got the clean sweep as he out jabbed his opponent by landing 28 jabs to just 6 for Avanesyan. The latter sustained a lot of damage, suggesting he had a broken jaw. Eddie Hearn talked up his fighter, stating that there are big plans for him.
“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,” Hearn said
Hearn Reacts
Despite this, Crawford was not impressed. He called out Ennis’ level of opposition by telling him to fight someone in the top ten. Ennis has not boxed someone at an elite level, although there is an argument that he is being avoided. The WBA Welterweight Champion Eimantas Stanionis is a possible name he could face. Stanionis is undefeated with a 15-0 record, with nine KO wins.
Meanwhile, Mario Barrios is also an alternative. He is the WBC Welterweight Champion, although he is expected to box Manny Pacquiao. Ennis will not get Crawford’s attention until he racks up major wins and belts. However, Crawford will likely only want to fight Ennis for a big payday, which can only come once Ennis becomes more established. Hearn dismissed the criticism over Ennis by stating that he was ready to build his fighter.
“No need to downplay Jaron Ennis’s success. He has time on his side, and he is diligently climbing the ranks. A fight with a top-ten opponent will happen when it’s supposed to. Ennis has what it takes to face anyone, even someone as formidable as Crawford. But everything in its own time. He’s got a bright future, and we will navigate his path wisely,” Hearn stated
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