Trainer Greg Hackett says the reason why IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis had problems with Karen Chukhadzhian last Saturday night was because the challenger went into survival mode after being knocked down in round five.
(Credit: Amy Westcott/Matchroom Boxing)
Greg’s Reasons for Boots Struggling
- Chukhadzhian was in survival mode. He didn’t want to get knocked out, so he held and moved.
- Boots was not motivated to fight. Given that Ennis had already easily beaten Chukhadzhian a year ago, he was excited about the fight, which allowed the challenger to take advantage of him.
Hackett points out that Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) held a lot after the knockdown and wouldn’t let Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) hit him again. So, he clinched frequently and moved for the last seven rounds.
In the fans’ eyes, it looked like Ennis’ defensive skills were exposed by Chukhadzhian, who was hitting him at will with clean shots throughout the fight and really putting hands on him in the championship rounds.
After the point deduction tenth for holding, an offensive fire was ignited under Chukhadzhian, who tore into Ennis in rounds 11 and 12. He teed off on Boots, hitting him with powerful shots at close range and inside.
When the cameras panned to the audience in the 11th, you could see concern in the fans of the fans, who were like, ‘What’s happening to Boots?’ Chukhadzhian wasn’t trying to survive. He was kicking Boots’ backside all over the ring, humiliating him in front of his 10,000+ Philly fans at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and the ones watching at home.
Ennis Not Motivated To Fight Hard
“One thing is, ‘I fought the guy already, I beat the guy already. I’m not really interested,’” said trainer Greg Hackett to Fighthype, explaining why Jaron ‘Boot’ Ennis had problems in his rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian last Saturday night.
Ennis looked motivated, but he was facing a guy with more talent than him and, surprisingly, more power. Chukhadzhian looked like the harder puncher of the two and, of course, had the faster hand speed.
“At the same time, it’s a mandatory. It’s like, ‘I beat him. I’m not interested, but I’m going to get ready; I’m going to train. I’m going to fight him,’” said Hackett, continuing with the excuses for Ennis’ poor performance. “Karen is very crafty. We were on his [backside] about the running. So this time, he brought the holding along with the hitting.”
Chukhadzhian did do a lot of holding in the second half of the fight when he got tired, and that’s why he lost. If he hadn’t held as much, he’d have won for sure because he was getting the better of Boots.
“He got under Boots’ skin. He irritated him a lot,” said Hackett. “He was frustrated. I can understand that he’s got great legs, elite legs. It’s boxing, man. [Stuff] like this is going to happen. Boots clearly won the fight, but it’s, like, ‘I already beat the guy. I don’t want to fight him again. I want the big names.’”
Boots was in a despite state from the fourth round. He no longer talked to the audience and smiled during the clinches. In the second half, he looked at his corner for help, not knowing what to do and needing to be told. His confidence had seeped right out of him like a leaky faucet.
Chukhadzhian Fought To Survive
“He did what he could,” said Hackett about Chukhadzhian. “Karen didn’t put himself in spots to be stopped. He felt the power and went down in the fifth. ‘Alright, I’m not doing that no more. We’re not getting hit with that [stuff] anymore.’ So, he did what he could to survive.
“I can’t be mad at him. That man has got a family. He has got go home to his folks. Boots, you can’t judge him by that fight because it’s one of them things. ‘I did it already,’” said Hackett.
Hackett is making excuses for Boots, carrying his water, to uphold his image because he’s got it 100% wrong about why he struggled against Chukhadzhian.
Claiming that Chukhadzhian was in survival mode from the fifth round is wrong because he landed big shots on Boots in rounds six through twelve. Chukhadzhian looked like he took the 11th and 12th rounds after being penalized for holding in round 10.
