Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis won in his Philly homecoming. Is welterweight unification or Terence Crawford next?

The theme song of wrestling’s Undertaker bled into Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” and there was Jaron “Boots” Ennis, a Germantown kid headlining the first world title fight in South Philadelphia in more than 20 years, smiling and bobbing as he started to make his way to the ring late Saturday night.

Ennis, 27 and undefeated, said in the lead-up to his first fight in Philadelphia in six years that he felt like he was “at home lying on the couch with my feet up.”

For most of the five rounds Saturday night, Ennis made it look like something resembling that ease. From the second he entered the ring to roars from most of the 14,000-plus people at the Wells Fargo Center, he was in complete control. His opponent, David Avanesyan, barely put up a fight. Ennis, the IBF welterweight titleholder, was a big favorite over Avanesyan, the fill-in opponent for Cody Crowley, Ennis’ original opponent who dropped out of the fight after a failed eye exam. A stiff jab from Ennis 30 seconds into the fight nearly knocked Avanesyan over and set the tone for what would happen over the next five rounds.

Ennis (32-0) controlled the action even though he said his “timing was off.” He hadn’t fought since last July 8, when he knocked out Roiman Villa in Atlantic City. Sure, there was a little bit of rust, but not nearly enough to get in the way of his 29th stoppage.

Ennis dropped Avanesyan with a counter left hook in the fifth round. Avanesyan’s night was over after the round, the ringside doctor advising his corner that the fight be stopped, securing a technical knockout for Ennis.

And because this is boxing, and it’s always about what’s next, Ennis could enjoy the cheers from his hometown crowd and stand in the ring with family and friends for photos for only a few minutes before the questions about his next bout started.

“I want the big names,” Ennis said.

There’s one at the top of the list: Terence Crawford, who is regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But Crawford (40-0) is heading from welterweight (147 pounds) up to 154 for his next fight, an Aug. 3 matchup with Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.

» READ MORE: Can the Wells Fargo Center revive Philadelphia boxing the way the Spectrum did 50 years ago?

Ennis will eventually head to 154, too. It’s “inevitable,” his promoter, Eddie Hearn, said after the fight Saturday. But “the plan is unifications before he moves to 154,” Hearn said. “You don’t really want to go before you’ve taken care of business.”

A unification fight is possible vs. interim WBC titleholder Mario Barrios. But that’s not the fight Ennis’ Philly supporters want to see next ... or his promoter for that matter.

Hearn said he and Ennis spoke after Saturday’s fight with Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which is putting on Crawford’s fight on Aug. 3.

“I said, ‘send the contract,’ ” Ennis said.

Would Ennis go up to 154 for Crawford or would he prefer Crawford return to 147?

“I don’t care,” he said. “I just want to fight the top guys, the best guys. They’re going to bring the best out of me.”

Hearn said he’d like to see Ennis face Crawford sometime in the first quarter of 2025, especially if a Crawford-Canelo Álvarez megafight doesn’t come to fruition.

“I think he’s a special fighter that needs to get tested against the best in the world and that’s our job now,” Hearn said of Ennis.

Crawford chimed in on X (formerly Twitter), questioning whether Ennis is a world-class fighter.

“Sign the contract,” Ennis said when Crawford’s social media post was brought up. “If he wanted to fight, he would’ve stayed at 147.”

Ennis’ father and trainer, Bozy, put an end to the Crawford talk by saying: “We ain’t worried about Crawford. We’re going to clean 147 out and then we’re going to move to 154. If he’s there and he’s got a belt, we’re coming after him. Simple as that.”

All of that will eventually come together in the future. Saturday night was about Ennis getting back in the ring, and bringing championship boxing back to his hometown.

“It felt good to be back in the ring and it felt good to be home,” Ennis said. “It was dope. It was a great experience coming out, walking out in front of my friends and family taking it all in.”

Before the four-fight DAZN telecast went live Saturday night, three Philly fighters gave those who arrived early a show.

Bantamweight Dennis Thompson started the night with a unanimous decision (40-36 on all three cards) in the 18-year-old’s professional debut. East Germantown’s Ismail Muhammad then improved to 5-0 with a unanimous decision in a super-lightweight fight in which he was tested. Later, South Philly’s Christian Carto (23-1), a super-bantamweight, stopped his opponent after the third round.