It's easy to play a game of compare and contrast between young rising pound-for-pound fighters Jaron "Boots" Ennis and Shakur Stevenson. After Stevenson drew criticism for another "boring" performance this past weekend, Ennis will enter the ring on Saturday to face David Avanesyan looking to do the exact opposite.
Like Stevenson, whose fight took place in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, Ennis is set to operate in front of his local Philadelphia faithful when he puts his IBF welterweight title on the line against Avanesyan.
Where Stevenson and Ennis differ is in their approach to fights. Stevenson is a defensive wizard and the most difficult man in boxing to land punches against according to punch stats, a valuable skill but one that produces the kind of dull fight that had some Newark fans heading for the exits during last Saturday's fight. Ennis is more of an offense-first fighter, with 28 stoppage wins in his perfect 31-0 record.
Ennis has only had to fight beyond the sixth round twice in his career. Those two fights have come in Ennis' most recent outings, taking a decision over Karen Chukhadzhian to win the IBF interim welterweight title and then stopping Roiman Villa in the 10th round in his first defense of a world title after being promoted from interim champion when Crawford moved up to junior middleweight rather than defend his undisputed world championship against Ennis.
Ennis was originally set to defend his title against Cody Crowley, but Crowley was forced out of the bout due to an eye injury. Avanesyan got the call and accepted the fight, giving him a second opportunity to fight for a world title.
Avanesyan's first chance to become world champion came in his most recent fight, a December 2022 bout with Crawford. Avanesyan fought well in the early rounds before getting crushed with a combination of an uppercut into a right hand that finished things off.
Coming up short against the better opponents he has faced as largely been the story of Avanesyan's career since he sent Shane Mosley into retirement in 2016, with losses to Lamont Peterson and Egidijus Kavaliauskas in addition to the Crawford bout.
What Avanesyan represents is an opportunity for Ennis to have a direct comparison to Crawford, a man he has longed for a fight with for years. While Crawford says Ennis was twice offered the fight, Ennis told Cigar Talk in a recent interview.
"What two opportunities did I have to fight him? He was in the middle of doing something with [Errol Spence Jr.] at the time. At the time, we thought he was fighting Errol so everybody was waiting around, waiting around. The whole welterweight division was waiting to see what he was going to do and then he popped up out of nowhere fighting David Avanesyan. People don't realize I didn't get the opportunity to fight for the IBF interim until after he made the decision. We were waiting to see what he was going to do. People don't realize that.
"I saw somebody was saying I went a different road. I went down that road because he chose to fight Avanesyan. He could have clearly picked me. ... If I get a call, of course, I'm going to take it. Why wouldn't I take it?"
With Crawford and Spence moving up from 147 to 154 pounds, there aren't many big fights left for Ennis in a suddenly thin welterweight division. Should Ennis get past Avanesyan as is expected, the next question will be if he pursues a similar move up to chase big fights, including the elusive bout with Crawford.
The undercard is lacking any serious punch in matchups, but it should be a good showcase opportunity for some rising prospects. Skye Nicolson looks to retain he WBC featherweight title when she takes on Dyana Vargas. The Aussie is undefeated at 10-0 and claimed the full WBC title in her last outing in April by defeating Sarah Mahfoud. Plus, Khalil Coe looks to continue his run when he takes on Kwame Ritter. And Jalil Hackett is set to take on Peter Dobson at welterweight.
Let's take a closer look at the latest odds for each main card bout before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event.
Ennis vs. Avanesyan fight card, odds
- Jaron Ennis (c) -2500 vs. David Avanesyan +1200, IBF welterweight title
- Skye Nicolson (c) -3000 vs. Dyana Vargas +1400, WBC featherweight title
- Khalil Coe -3500 vs. Kwame Ritter +1400, light heavyweight
- Jalil Hackett -1000 vs. Peter Dobson +600, welterweight
Prediction
There isn't a ton of drama in who should have their hand raised on Saturday night. Ennis is the better fighter by leaps and bounds but Avanesyan can be tricky at times, switching stances and moving forward consistently. At times, Avanesyan was able to walk Crawford down and even managed to land a few cracking right hands. Crawford is the kind of fighter who will let a fight come to him slowly at times, letting an opponent think he's getting into a rhythm before his otherworldly boxing skills allow Crawford to take over the fight. Ennis isn't quite the same and if Avanesyan tries to bring the fight, Ennis will likely welcome it and look to end the fight at the first available moment.
This is an opportunity for Ennis to make a statement and he's well aware of that. Expect a no-frills approach as Ennis looks to end the fight early and show that he's the far and away No. 1 fighter at 147 pounds. Whether he stays in the division or not after the Avanesyan fight is the biggest question heading into Saturday night. Pick: Jaron Ennis via TKO4
