The Wells Fargo Center was the site where a great night of boxing action took place on Saturday night, as WBC super-flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) stopped Pedro Guevara in the third round and IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over Karen Chukhadzhian.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
This was the second time that Boots Ennis faced Chukhadzhian. The first clash between the two occurred on the Gervonta Davis vs Hector Luis Garcia undercard back in January 2023. Ennis got the unanimous decision victory, but he wasn’t pleased with his performance.
From an entertainment standpoint, the January 2023 clash between Ennis and Chukhadzhian was a fight that was unappealing to the fans. Chukhadzhian was content with using his footwork to move around and not engage, while Boots Ennis intended to provide the action but he couldn’t, due to the fact that he experienced difficulty cutting off the ring.
Nearly two years later, Ennis and Chukhadzhian faced each other again because Chukhadzhian was the mandatory challenger for the IBF world welterweight title. In the second installment of Ennis vs Chukhadzhian, the fight was more exciting and fan-friendly.
The rematch had more eye-catching exchanges because Chukhadzhian spent more time in the pocket. The second fight had a totally different look, but at the end of the contest, Jaron “Boots” Ennis defeated Karen Chukhadzhian via unanimous decision.
In defeat, Karen Chukhadzhian had his moments, and because of those moments, the Boots Ennis detractors took to social media to voice their opinions. One of the critics, Ryan Garcia, posted: ‘Boots will get knocked out by me.’
Both Eddie Hearn and Boots Ennis acknowledged Ryan Garcia as being a possible option, and they also agreed that Vergil Ortiz is another realistic opponent for 2025. During the post-fight press conference, Ennis and Hearn were unaware of the presence of a self-proclaimed third option sitting in the room.
As members of the media were asking questions, Blair “The Flair” Cobbs was able to get his hands on the microphone to address Hearn and Boots Ennis.
“Look, we know the two options that you want to pick, but there’s still a third option. That third option is the most exciting man in boxing, Blair “The Flair” fighting Jaron “Boots” Ennis in a major hit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wooo!”
Promoter Eddie Hearn immediately shot down the idea because he wants Boots Ennis to face a major-name opponent in his next fight. When Blair “The Flair” insisted he was a major name, Eddie Hearn responded by saying, “No, I’m afraid you’re not.”
Cobbs went on to state he’s a deserving candidate based on the fact that he beat former multi-division world champion Adrien Broner. Hearn wasn’t impressed with the accomplishment because in his opinion Broner is a shot fighter. Hearn told Cobbs he’s not a candidate for a fight against Boots Ennis, but he could set up an interesting opportunity for Cobbs.
“I got a good fight for you, Karen Chukhadzhian,” Hearn said. “I’ll tell you what I will do. I will put the fight on, you against Karen. You beat him, we’ll get you a major fight.”
The idea that Hearn came up with is an excellent idea. Blair Cobbs is a boxer who has spent most of his career fighting for respect. Through the course of 24 rounds, Karen Chukhadzhian has been very competitive against Boots Ennis. If Blair Cobbs can defeat a boxer the caliber of Chukhadzhian, it will definitely open up the doors to more lucrative opportunities.
