Jaron “Boots” Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) may be facing David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) at the Wells Fargo Center in his hometown of Philadelphia this Saturday on DAZN, but his eyes extend beyond the task at hand.
The 27-year-old IBF welterweight champ, who is fighting for the first time under contract with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, wants all the belts at 147 before thinking about a move up to 154 and, maybe, a shot at the Terence Crawford bout that eluded him these last couple years.
When asked whether he preferred going straight at the Crawford fight or making a run at the three remaining welterweight belts, Ennis chose the latter– with a desire to go after the former after that.
“I’m gonna collect the belts for undisputed at 147 and then go to 54,” Ennis told FightHype.com. “That’s my goal…I’m already here. I got one belt already. It’s time to collect the rest of them, then 54 right behind it…Hopefully, we bang these fights right out and I’ll be 54 about, maybe, summertime next year, end of summertime.”
The undefeated Ennis is hoping to take the next step towards next-level stardom with a dominant victory in front of his hometown fans and then a march towards undisputed champ status at welterweight.
“Most definitely those fights [against WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis, WBC champ Mario Barrios and WBO champ Brian Norman] are going to happen – you have to stay tuned,” Ennis told Boxingscene. “After I handle my business on Saturday night with a big statement win, that’s my goal– undisputed. I’m not looking past Avanesyan, but after I win, I am coming for all of the belts.”
As for his decision to join forces with Matchroom Boxing, Ennis is confident that he made the right decision for his future. Coming off a year layoff and a slower-than-desired career advancement– mostly because the top dogs at 147 preferred not to address his challenge– the explosive Philly fighter feels set on the right path.
“I want what is best for my career,” Ennis told Boxingscene. “I like how Eddie Hearn moves his fighters. I like the things he does and the way he treats his guys. I just went that way. I like how Eddie does the talking for me. I’m glad I got Eddie behind me. That makes a perfect pair.”
Paul Magno has over forty years of experience in and around the sport of boxing and has had his hand in everything from officiating to training. As a writer, his work has appeared on Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Fight Hype, Max Boxing, Boxing.com, Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules, Overtime Heroics, Bleacher Report, and Premier Boxing Champions. He is currently the owner and managing editor or The Boxing Tribune. You can follow his Twitter/X account, @boxing_tribune, for breaking boxing news, analysis, and sometimes NSFW commentary. For Advertising, Inquiries, etc., send him an email here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com