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 hometownās NBA team.
Ennis, then entangled in litigation with the widow of his late promoter, didnāt 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.
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 āBootsā 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.
āIām definitely excited to get back in the ring,ā Ennis toldĀ Boxing News. āItās been a good, long year. You know, in the meantime, I was just getting ready, staying ready, staying patient, perfecting my craft. And itās a blessing to be able to fight at the Wells Fargo Center. I kinda been waiting all my life for it. ā¦ Iām grateful to be put in this position. Iām going down in history in Philadelphia.āAs much as Ennisā long-awaited return represents a reunion of sorts with thousands of his Philadelphia faithful, it is also a chance to expand Ennisā profile far beyond the United States.
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.
Adding Ennis marked Matchroomās 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.
āEverybody in boxing knows about this guy,ā Hearn said recently. āNow itās time to tell the world. Youāre talking about pure, pure elite. Youāre talking about the likes of Crawford and Spence. Iām talking about [āSugar Rayā] Leonard. Iām talking about this is how good this kid can be. Heās gonna light up Philadelphia. Heās gonna light up American boxing. Heās gonna light up U.S. boxing, world boxing. Heās got absolutely everything ā the ability to beat everybody. Heās got style, heās got speed, heās got power. When you spell greatness, it spells E-n-n-i-s. And itās time to put him to the test. This guy, Iām telling you, is the future of the sport.ā
Each of Ennisā past 12 fights were televised by Showtime either live on that premium cable network or during pay-per-view broadcasts Showtime distributed. Derek āBozyā Ennis ā Jaronās father, manager and trainer ā and his son were willing to continue having him compete on cards constructed by Premier Boxing Champions founder Al Haymon after Cameron Dunkin, Ennisā longtime promoter, died January 2 due to a long battle with cancer.
Ennis wasnāt officially affiliated with PBC and thus wasnāt 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.
Paramount Global, Showtimeās parent company, eliminated its Showtime Sports division at the end of 2023, which halted the networkās 36-year run in boxing and further complicated Ennisā involvement with PBC. Ennisā handlers directly dealt with Stephen Espinoza, Showtimeās former president of sports and event programming.
Espinoza attempted to keep Ennis aligned somewhat with PBC after Showtime exited the boxing business, but Haymonās first three cards since he partnered with Amazonās Prime Video have all been pay-per-view shows. Haymon doesnāt have a platform for non-pay-per-view events, which eliminated Ennisā 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 Dunkinās widow, Kellie Dunkin, couldnāt 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 sportās top promoters.
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.
āI just feel like I need to stay active,ā Ennis said, āto stay in the ring, stay fighting, stay sharp, so I can be able to collect the rest of these belts. Thatās my main thing right now.ā
A full version of this article appears in the latest Boxing News.Ā Buy here to read.