JARON ‘Boots’ Ennis and Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez co-headline at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia on November 9 and the dynamic duo have a supporting cast steadily assembling behind them.
The two headline attractions, known colloquially by their nicknames, have relatively straightforward assignments as each looks towards major unifications, many weight classes apart.
While Bam Rodriguez was initially expected to turn back towards Juan Francisco Estrada and secure a rematch of their June classic fight that saw Rodriguez halt the pound-for-pound star in round eight, instead, he now has a different challenge in Pedro Guevara. The Mexican was last seen defeating Andrew Moloney for the WBC Interim super-flyweight strap and gave Carlos Cuadras a tough outing in late 2023.
For Boots, meanwhile, rematches remain more of a curse as he engages in the big return nobody wants to see, apart from Karen Chukhadzhian and his team. The Ukrainian lost every round on every card to Ennis in a lacklustre 2023 affair. After building himself back through the IBF system, a chance for redemption awaits as Karen hopes to improve on the last display by winning rounds – or a round at least.
Raymond Ford moves up to battle Orlando Gonzalez at super-featherweight. After dramatically defeating Otabek Kholmatov to win the WBA featherweight title, Ford lost his belt in a narrow one to Nick Ball.
Now, Puerto Rican opponent Gonzalez looks to add to the misery. ‘Capu’ has 23 wins against a couple of losses but has never been stopped. He’s on a five-fight winning streak and previously went the 10 rounds with Robeisy Ramirez. Ford should be too strong and slick over 10 here. “All the champs at 130lbs better watch out because I’m coming for all of those straps,” said Ford.
Joining Ford is light-heavyweight prospect Khalil Coe who faces Manuel Gallegos over 10 rounds for a fringe bauble. ‘Big Steppa’ Coe is a strong, heavy-handed New Jersey prospect who should have far too much for a man moving up in weight. Gallegos was stopped by Diego Pacheco at 168 in his last outing. “I believe that there is no better prospect in boxing than me, and on November 9, Manuel Gallegos is about to find that out the hard way,” blasted Coe.
Ernesto Mercado, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams and Ismail Muhammad also feature on the undercard.
