Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to defend his title against David Avaneysan in Philly
Ennis, who grew up in Germantown, has a new opponent as he prepares to defend his IBF title in his hometown. But the undefeated fighter has his sights set on something bigger.
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Jaron Ennis wants a shot at Terrence Crawford, boxing’s pound-for-pound champ. He’ll have to settle this summer for an opponent Crawford flattened.
Ennis, Philadelphia’s lone world champion, will defend his IBF welterweight title against David Avanesyan on July 13 at the Wells Fargo Center. Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 knockouts) replaces Cody Crowley, who was removed from the card last week after failing an eye exam.
The card, which is just the third since the arena opened in 1996, will be televised by DAZN. The 26-year-old Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) will be in the ring for the first time since signing with Britain’s Matchroom Boxing, the promoter he believes can secure him a fight with Crawford.
“Now that Crowley is officially not my opponent, I actually like Avanesyan as a better opponent,” said Ennis, who grew up in Germantown. “He will put up a better fight, which will be what I want. July 13, don’t miss this beautiful, outstanding performance.”
Matchroom, which is owned by boxing power broker Eddie Hearn, said the fight has already sold more than 10,000 tickets, which would be quite a statement in a city that has been tepid recently toward boxing. The card includes Germantown welterweight Ismail Muhammad, a 22-year-old who is undefeated in four fights while owning a cheesesteak shop in his neighborhood.
Avanesyan, 35, has fought just once since being knocked out by Crawford in December 2022. Ennis’ world title belonged to Crawford until November. The IBF stripped Crawford of the championship after he opted to position himself for a rematch against Errol Spence instead of making a mandatory title defense against Ennis. Crawford is now moving to 154 pounds as he’ll fight in August against WBA super-welterweight champion Israil Madrimov. Ennis thinks he could face Crawford before the end of the year.
First, he has to fight a guy Crawford already beat.
“Jaron Ennis is a world-class boxer who I respect highly and is a potential huge star, and on July 13, we will find out if he is the real deal,” Avanesyan said. “When I received the call to go into a tremendous battle with such a highly rated fighter, I did not need to be asked twice, especially when it is for a world title. This is what I love, I am fit and strong and I am ready — let’s have it.”