After Chukhadzhian Scare, Can Ennis Survive Ryan Garcia’s Power?

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After struggling through a nightmarish fight against Karen Chukhadzhian last Saturday night, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis says he’s willing to fight Ryan Garcia next at 147 if he wants to face him next after being called out by the highly popular star.

Ryan watched IBF welterweight champion ‘Boots’ Ennis’ title defense against his mandatory Chukhadzhian last Saturday night and posted on X during the contest that he would “get knocked out by me.”

Boots Willing to Fight Garcia

The powerful left-hook knockout artist Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) could be right. Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) was hit by virtually every punch that Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) threw at him last Saturday night in their headliner at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

One can surmise that Ennis isn’t defensively sound enough to handle the left hook smash that Ryan would hit him with, and he wouldn’t last long against that power punch. It’s not just the power on Ryan’s left hooks but rather the speed that hit travels. His opponents don’t see the shot coming, and that magnifies the power, making it even more devasting.

A reported 10,000+ fans watched Chukhadzhian light up Ennis with power shots, and they were stone quiet. These were Boots’ hometown Philly fans, and they were not happy watching their hero getting worked over by the visiting fighter, Chukhadzhian. This was supposed to be a showcase fight for Boots to look like a million bucks in front of his fans, but it turned out be a nightmare.

On the bright side, Ennis still won the fight by a 12-round majority decision by the scores:

– 119-108
– 117-109
– 116-110

Ryan Garcia Calls Out Ennis

“Just bring him on. Come on, all he do is talk and Tweet. I’m here to make history. I guarantee you I put him out for sure,” said Jaron Ennis during the post-fight press conference, reacting to being told that Ryan Garcia said he’ll be at him.

Considering the massive problems Chukhadzhian gave Ennis last Saturday night, he and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, need to be very careful in which direction they go in for his next fight. It’s like Ennis has stumbled into a minefield littered with claymores and S-mines [bouncing Betty]. He’s at risk of losing, no matter which direction he heads.

There’s more money potentially in a Boots vs. Ryan Garcia fight than there would be for Ennis to move up to 154 to challenge Vergil Ortiz Jr. for his WBC interim junior middleweight title. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said last Saturday night at the post-fight press conference that Boots’ options for his next fight are down to these two paths:

  1. Unification fights at 147
  2. Vergil Ortiz Jr. clash at 154

“Ryan Garcia is one of the biggest names in the sport. If he wants to fight at 147, this is what I’m saying about the performance tonight. It was a good performance, but it was nothing special. So people like Ryan Garcia are going to be sitting at home and getting brave,” said promoter Eddie Hearn.

“If Ryan Garcia wants to come back from his ban in May or June or whenever he’s going to come back and go straight into a fight with Boots Ennis, we would more than welcome that. You’re only going to see the best of him against great fighters, and Ryan Garcia is a good fighter. He’s well out there, but he’s a good fighter,” said Hearn.




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