By Keith Idec
JARON ENNIS envisioned packing Wells Fargo Center for one of his fights when he attended a Philadelphia 76ers game there March 1 to customarily ring the replica Liberty Bell on the court of his hometownโs NBA team.ย
Ennis, then entangled in litigation with the widow of his late promoter, didnโt realize that he would get that long-coveted opportunity merely four months later. The unbeaten IBF welterweight champion expects to box before at least a near-capacity crowd at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night, when Ennis is scheduled to encounter Russian-born contender David Avanesyan, who resides and trains in Newark, England.ย
The 27-year-old Ennis, who grew up approximately 20 miles north of Wells Fargo Center in the Germantown section of northwest Philadelphia, will fight in his hometown for the first time since the gifted fighter nicknamed โBootsโ knocked out Raymond Serrano in the second round of their November 2018 bout at nearby 2300 Arena. Ennis will also end a 53-week layoff against Avanesyan, most known to boxing fans for his sixth-round knockout loss to Terence Crawford in December 2022.ย
โIโm definitely excited to get back in the ring,โ Ennis told Boxing News. โItโs been a good, long year. You know, in the meantime, I was just getting ready, staying ready, staying patient, perfecting my craft. And itโs a blessing to be able to fight at the Wells Fargo Center. I kinda been waiting all my life for it. โฆ Iโm grateful to be put in this position. Iโm going down in history in Philadelphia.โย
As much as Ennisโ long-awaited return represents a reunion of sorts with thousands of his Philadelphia faithful, it is also a chance to expand Ennisโ profile far beyond the United States.ย
Ennis signed a multi-fight agreement with Matchroom Boxing three months ago. His new partnership with Matchroom means Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs, 1 NC) will make his DAZN debut versus Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs). The card headlined by Ennis-Avanesyan is set to start streaming at 1am BST in the UK.ย
Adding Ennis marked Matchroomโs most significant signing of an American-born boxer since the promotional company run by Eddie Hearn launched Matchroom Boxing USA six years ago. The often-hyperbolic Hearn has been especially effusive in his praise of the versatile, explosive Ennis, whom Hearn predicted will become an undisputed champion in multiple divisions.ย
ย โEverybody in boxing knows about this guy,โ Hearn said recently. โNow itโs time to tell the world. Youโre talking about pure, pure elite. Youโre talking about the likes of Crawford and Spence. Iโm talking about [โSugar Rayโ] Leonard. Iโm talking about this is how good this kid can be. Heโs gonna light up Philadelphia. Heโs gonna light up American boxing. Heโs gonna light up U.S. boxing, world boxing. Heโs got absolutely everything โ the ability to beat everybody. Heโs got style, heโs got speed, heโs got power. When you spell greatness, it spells E-n-n-i-s. And itโs time to put him to the test. This guy, Iโm telling you, is the future of the sport.โย
Each of Ennisโ past 12 fights were televised by Showtime either live on that premium cable network or during pay-per-view broadcasts Showtime distributed. Derek โBozyโ Ennis โ Jaronโs father, manager and trainer โ and his son were willing to continue having him compete on cards constructed by Premier Boxing Champions founder Al Haymon after Cameron Dunkin, Ennisโ longtime promoter, died January 2 due to a long battle with cancer.ย
Ennis wasnโt officially affiliated with PBC and thus wasnโt appropriately prioritised by Haymon. Showtime had a multi-fight agreement with Ennis, who was paid purses that exceeded $1 million for each of his final five fights with the network.ย
Paramount Global, Showtimeโs parent company, eliminated its Showtime Sports division at the end of 2023, which halted the networkโs 36-year run in boxing and further complicated Ennisโ involvement with PBC. Ennisโ handlers directly dealt with Stephen Espinoza, Showtimeโs former president of sports and event programming.ย
Espinoza attempted to keep Ennis aligned somewhat with PBC after Showtime exited the boxing business, but Haymonโs first three cards since he partnered with Amazonโs Prime Video have all been pay-per-view shows. Haymon doesnโt have a platform for non-pay-per-view events, which eliminated Ennisโ opportunities to headline those types of cards.
Ennis eventually sued NOW Boxing Promotions for breach of contract, in part because he was reportedly concerned that Dunkinโs widow, Kellie Dunkin, couldnโt adequately guide his career due to her lack of experience in the boxing business. NOW and Ennis agreed to an undisclosed settlement in March, which enabled Ennis to shop his services to the sportโs top promoters.ย
Ennis hoped to box WBC interim champ Mario Barrios on PBC pay-per-view cards that took place in March and then June. The Barrios bout failed to materialize, however, and Ennis ended a frustrating guessing game by signing with Matchroom.ย
โI just feel like I need to stay active,โ Ennis said, โto stay in the ring, stay fighting, stay sharp, so I can be able to collect the rest of these belts. Thatโs my main thing right now.โย
A full version of this article appears in the latest Boxing News. Buy here to read.