Philly’s Jaron Ennis thinks nondescript victory could convince champs to give him a title shot

WASHINGTON — Jaron Ennis paused Saturday night as he entered the Capital One Arena, allowing the roar of the sold-out crowd to build before making his way to the ring. The building rocked, the event was on pay-per-view, and his opponent — a thought-to-be overmatched Ukrainian — was waiting.

It felt like a moment to coronate Ennis, a 25-year-old from Germantown, as boxing’s next big draw. He had won 19 straight by stoppage, building a reputation as a knockout artist and creating the idea that he had yet to earn a welterweight title shot because the rest of the division feared him.

Another KO — this time on the biggest stage of Ennis’ career — was almost guaranteed. And that’s what the fans expected to see.

Instead, Ennis left the District of Columbia with a lackluster unanimous decision over Karen Chukhadzhian. The fight dragged as the 26-year-old Chukhadzhian — a decorated amateur making his U.S. debut — seemed tentative to engage with Ennis.

The crowd booed in the later rounds as Chukhadzhian craftily shifted around the ring, fighting at awkward angles and disarming Ennis from throwing the powerful shots that he has become known for.

Ennis (30-0, 27 knockouts) won each card, 120-108, as each of the three judges awarded him all 12 rounds to win the IBF’s interim welterweight title. Ennis never seemed comfortable, but he still outworked Chukhadzhian (21-2, 11 KOs) as he outpunched and outlanded him by wide margins.

Ennis never faced real trouble as he cruised despite not scoring a knockdown. Yet the victory — Ennis’ first since a thundering second-round KO in May — still felt disappointing. But, Ennis said, perhaps it could be a silver lining that the fight wasn’t a destruction.

“Maybe these boys will get in the ring now and fight me,” he said.

The win keeps Ennis as the No. 1 contender for Errol Spence’s IBF title, but he will likely have to wait before getting his chance. Spence seems set on lining up a bout against Terrence Crawford, who has the 147-pound belt Spence needs to become the unanimous champ.

» READ MORE: Philly boxer Jaron Ennis is dedicating his fight to a 7-year-old boy who is fighting for his life

Ennis, who fought just once in 2022, plans to fight twice more this year, so he could defend his interim title in the spring or summer while waiting to see if a fight with Spence could happen in the fall. But Spence, who has held the IBF title for six years, could be moving soon to 154 pounds.

“The main goal is to get the belts and to fight the top guys,” Ennis said. “If I have to fight a former world champion or someone with a name, so be it. I just want to stay active, keep winning, take over the welterweight division and the boxing world period.”

The win was the first time Ennis had fought more than six rounds, and 19 of his last 22 fights were stopped within the first four rounds. He said before the fight that he planned on finishing Chukhadzhian in the early rounds. He admitted afterward that he was overly focused on landing a KO before becoming bored when Chukhadzhian fought with a defensive style.

“You’ve got a guy who really didn’t come to fight,” said Derek “Bozy” Ennis, who trains his son. “That’s why I told my son to walk him down and try to make him fight. Still, he didn’t want to fight. There’s nothing we can do about that. What we have to do is keep doing what we’re doing. We won every round. … Maybe these guys will fight him now.”

Ennis did not add another KO, but his father pointed to how refreshed the fighter looked in the 12th round, answering any questions about his ability to go the distance.

It wasn’t the night Ennis envisioned when they entered the arena, but he still returned to Philadelphia on track for a title shot sometime this year. Ennis wants to become the undisputed champion at 147 pounds. First, he needs to land a title shot. And maybe a nondescript victory is what the KO artist needed to position himself for that bout.