The Homecoming For Jaron Ennis: A Dangerous Test?

There has been much attention recently surrounding undefeated IBF Welterweight world champion Jaron Ennis, known to Boxing fans as “Boots." Ennis, who is unbeaten in thirty-one professional fights, was the last signee to the now-defunct Showtime Sports and made a name for himself competing in fights promoted under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters. With Showtime’s exit from Boxing at the end of last year as part of a significant restructuring of its parent company Paramount Global and a decision by Ennis to not continue fighting under the PBC banner, in stepped promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and thus the beginning of a new chapter in Ennis’ career. A chapter that not only begins with him signing with a new promoter but also a world championship after recently being elevated to world champion by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) from being it's top contender following former Undisputed Welterweight world champion Terrence Crawford choosing to test the waters in the Jr. Middleweight division for his next fight.

While Crawford is moving up to the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division, his exit from the 147lb. Welterweight division has signaled a period of transition, which is very similar to what has been going on recently in the Jr. Welterweight and Lightweight divisions, the two weight classes directly below the Welterweight division. With the recent theme continuing to be “Transition," the obvious question is whether Ennis will be able to make a strong argument for himself as being the new central figure in the Welterweight division.

The first defense for Ennis of his IBF crown will come at the Wells Fargo Center in the champion’s hometown of Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, July 13th, which will also mark his debut on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. As there always seems to be in Boxing, things are not always simple and straightforward. Ennis was originally scheduled to face contender Cody Crowley in this title defense, but Crowley was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a failed eye exam. In steps former European Welterweight champion and recent world title challenger David Avanesyan on short notice for his second attempt at a world title.

Some may argue that Avanesyan stepping in makes this fight a more dangerous assignment for the newly crowned world champion. In addition to being a former European Welterweight champion, Avanesyan is a longtime top contender, who also had Interim/Regular champion status in the WBA’s Welterweight ratings at one point in his career. Avanesyan has only been stopped twice in his thirty-five fight professional career. Many will remember his last loss, which came at the hands of Terence Crawford in December 2022. It was a fight that was competitive until Crawford landed a fight-ending uppercut in the sixth round. 

While a one-punch knockout will always be a one-punch knockout and as such will always make heads turn, it is important to keep in mind that just because a fighter may be knocked out by a single punch, it does not necessarily mean that said fighter is susceptible to being caught. More simplistically, sometimes fights that end in the manner in which Avanesyan’s title shot against Crawford did, should be viewed on a case-by-case basis. It also goes without saying that Terence Crawford has proven throughout his career to be a rare generational fighter in terms of talent and overall skillset. The question here is whether Jaron Ennis has similar traits.

Although one should not look to Crawford’s knockout of Avanesyan as a baseline to compare what Ennis might be able to do, there is nevertheless some who might expect a similar outcome here based on Ennis’ punching power in having scored knockouts in twenty-eight of his thirty-one professional fights. What one should keep in mind, however, is David Avanesyan is a world-class boxer, who can do a little of everything and has shown the ability to be very crafty throughout his career as well. The challenger has been back in the ring once since his loss to Crawford in scoring a third round stoppage of Serge Ambomo in December of last year. 

While the circumstances of this bout are not ideal for either fighter, the challenge for Avanesyan will be not only stepping into his second world title shot on short notice, but also doing so in the champion’s hometown before what will likely be a partisan crowd. Whether Avanesyan will be able to use his experience to withstand what might be an early storm by Ennis in terms of throwing power punches in an attempt to look impressive in front of his hometown crowd remains to be seen. 

Nonetheless, the new chapter for Ennis will begin with what should be an interesting fight. With Crawford now moving on from Welterweight, the angling for position among the top fighters in the division, those who are world champions, top contenders, and would be world champions has begun. Can Jaron Ennis emerge as the new central figure in the Welterweight division? We will find out on Saturday, July 13th.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Ennis vs. Avanesyan takes place on Saturday, July 13th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

(*U.S. Times Only*) 

(*Card and Start time Subject to Change.*)

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Alvarez Proves Why There Are Weight Classes In Dominant Victory Over Charlo

 

The hype that preceded the encounter between Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo was largely based on the fact that for the first time in modern Boxing history, two fighters, who were undisputed world champions in their respective weight classes at the same time, would face each other as one would move up significantly in weight to challenge the other for his crown. There was however, the small wrinkle in that once Jermell Charlo entered the ring at the T-Mobile Arena on September 30th to face Alvarez, his status as an undisputed champion would no longer be current as it had been known in the weeks prior to the fight that the World Boxing Organization (WBO) would be stripping Charlo of it’s world championship in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division for failing to defend its championship against undefeated number one contender Tim Tszyu. A fight that was supposed to take place, but one that would not be due to Charlo opting to take a high-risk, high-reward gamble by moving up fourteen pounds and two weight divisions to challenge Alvarez.

While it is never good to see an undisputed world championship broken up for any reason, much less the business elements that be in the sport of Boxing, one could make what would be a persuasive argument that economically as things stand in the sport, the fight with Alvarez was the more financially rewarding of the two fights, despite the fact that Tszyu, much like his father, the Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, is rapidly becoming a star on the rise in the sport in routinely drawing massive crowds in his native Australia. Nevertheless, whenever a fighter makes a leap up the weight scale as Charlo was attempting in this fight with Alvarez, it is intriguing because of the obvious challenge that it presents in facing a fighter who theoretically is naturally bigger, and stronger at a heavier weight.

Although Alvarez has spent the majority of the last several years fighting either in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division or briefly at the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division, he was once a Jr. Middleweight much like Charlo, so it was conceivable at least on paper, that Charlo may be able to move up and be competitive with Alvarez if not be as dominant as he had been at 154lbs. Alvarez would show from the opening bell that he is a fighter who is truly in rare company in having the ability to move up in weight and be dominant and in doing so, also show that it is something that is not an easy accomplishment to achieve. The Super-Middleweight champion of the world immediately put Charlo on the defensive in landing short, but thudding punches and in the process applying consistent pressure. 

What impressed me about this fight was Alvarez’ ability to not only apply pressure on Charlo, who tried to use lateral movement to be elusive and offset that pressure, but more specifically, the way he was able to cut off the ring. This limited Charlo’s ability to move and also established a clear pattern for which the fight would be fought. Alvarez, pushing Charlo back, landing hard punches and controlling the tempo of the combat from start to finish. A pattern that also limited Charlo’s offensive output. In some ways, Alvarez’ approach in this fight brought back memories of a legendary world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. in terms of how Alvarez looked to gradually break Charlo down. It seemed as though similar to so many opponents that Chavez fought over his Hall of Fame career, that Alvarez was on the verge of doing that in the seventh round when he connected with a right hand that forced Charlo to take a knee.

To Charlo’s credit, he was able to survive and as the fight progressed did try to land something in an attempt to turn the ebb and flow in his favor. It just was not Charlo’s night as Alvarez would close out the fight to earn a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to retain his Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. 

Ultimately, this proved to be a fight that can be summed up as a bigger fighter besting a smaller fighter. In terms of his performance, it is arguable that in addition to moving up fourteen pounds for this fight that inactivity in addition to time needed to recover from a broken hand, likely worked against Charlo in this fight. Jermell Charlo can hold his head up high however, for performing well and going the distance under circumstances where some may have been discouraged to the point where they might not have wanted to finish the fight. Charlo is still a unified world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division holding the world championships of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). Coming out of this fight, Charlo has stated that he intends to move back down to 154lbs. and the obvious fight to make would be with Tim Tszyu, who is now recognized as the WBO’s Jr. Welterweight world champion in what would be an opportunity for Charlo to fully unify the division twice, something that has not been done in the history of the sport. 

When that potential fight could take place will depend on two things. The most obvious among them is Tszyu is scheduled to make his first title defense on October 14th against current WBO number two rated contender Brian Mendoza in Broadbeach, Australia. Charlo will obviously have to wait for the outcome of that fight before any potential plans could be set in motion for a fight between him and Tszyu. The second and perhaps more serious issue depending on one’s perspective might be the current state of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, whom Charlo currently fights under. It is no secret to those that follow the sport that several fighters who have fought under the PBC banner for several years have begun to seek opportunities fighting under different promoters and different television and streaming networks that currently do not have broadcast deals with the PBC. This in addition to what has been an increasingly sporadic list of dates for the PBC to stage cards through its existing broadcast deal with United States premium cable network Showtime as well as persistent speculation that the network’s parent company Paramount Global is intending to exit the sport of Boxing at the conclusion of 2023, in a similar way as former longtime rival and one of the sport’s prominent players HBO had done at the conclusion of 2018 following a significant merger and restructuring of its then parent company AT&T and WarnerMedia. Paramount has been undergoing a significant restructuring of itself and its properties including Showtime over the course of 2023 and if a decision has indeed been made to back out of Boxing as many have speculated, it will likely put the PBC in a dire situation after previously losing its broadcast deal with Fox Sports here in the United States, who subsequently did not broadcast any Boxing programming either on Fox television stations throughout the country or on Fox Sports branded cable networks throughout 2023.  While if indeed Paramount does pull the plug on Showtime’s thirty-seven year involvement in the sport, and such a decision could likely be tied to an overuse as well as overpricing of the outdated pay-per-view model, in terms of the immediate impact on the fighters such as Charlo, who are affiliated with the PBC, it may lead to even more sporadic in ring activity, which has already proved to have at best mixed results for fighters who have sought opportunities under different promoters and networks.

As for Saul Alvarez, his victory over Jermell Charlo was the first in a three-fight agreement with the PBC and if the PBC group of promoters do indeed lose their broadcast deal with Showtime, it will be interesting to see if Alvarez attempts to return to digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, who have broadcast many of his bouts since December 2018 either as part of its subscription service or on a pay-per-view basis, and perhaps if that previous working relationship might lead to the PBC seeking a deal with the network or at least as a means of fulfilling the remaining two fights in its deal with Alvarez. While obviously, we do not know currently who those potential fights will be against, Alvarez for his part says he just wants to fight and it is likely given that Alvarez is the undisputed champion of the Super-Middleweight division that he will spend his next few fights fulfilling his mandatory defense obligations of the various titles he holds. After previously scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over previous WBO number one contender John Ryder earlier this year, that would leave Alvarez with three defenses to fulfill obligations to the IBF, WBC, and WBA, before the process refreshes for a new slate of mandatory challengers. Who those fights will be against and on what broadcast/streaming platform is obviously up in the air.

Although as of this writing there is no word as to how successful the Alvarez-Charlo bout did in terms of pay-per-view buys at an $85 price point through Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States, with another longtime television network that overall has been good for Boxing appearing to be nearing an exit, Boxing’s Pay-Per-View problem and what appears to be an unwillingness of some promoters and maybe even some fighters, who have been conditioned to the belief that pay-per-view is the only way to earn additional revenue, even as evidence of the need to change continues to become more clear, remains an issue for the sport as 2024 nears. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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ShoBox August 4, 2023 Results

Three rising prospects faced what some considered the toughest tests of their respective careers as they headlined a tripleheader edition of Showtime Sports’ popular ShoBox: The New Generation series on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA. First up it was a battle between unbeaten Jr. Featherweights as Julian Gonzalez faced Johnny Spell in a fight scheduled for eight rounds. A fight for the Pennsylvania state Jr. Featherweight championship.

Gonzalez began the fight by coming forward and was able to establish early that he was the fighter with the heavier punches. A focal point was the right hand for Gonzalez early, including  staggering Spell in the fourth round. Although it appeared as though Gonzalez was perhaps on the verge of scoring a stoppage, Spell was able to recover and to his credit, slowed the pace of the combat over the second half of the fight. Despite having some effective rounds where he seemed to outwork Gonzalez, Spell did not have the punching power to stop Gonzalez from coming forward and it would be Gonzalez who would go on to win an eight round unanimous decision. Official scores were: 78-74 (On two scorecards) and, 79-73 all in favor of Gonzalez. Julian Gonzalez advances to 11-0-1, with 9 Knockouts. Johnny Spell falls to 8-1, with 4 Knockouts.

In a Super-Middleweight bout, unbeaten Paul Kroll fought to a hotly contested eight round majority draw with Guido Schramm. A give and take battle from the opening bell Schramm’s pressure and harder punches seemed to carry most of the first five rounds of the fight including badly staggering Kroll with a right uppercut, left hook combination to the head in the third round. As the fight progressed however, Kroll gradually found his footing and while he was never really able to turn the ebb and flow completely in his favor as Schramm kept coming forward with pressure and throwing punches with knockout intent with every blow, Kroll’s Boxing pedigree was able to make the fight close at the conclusion of the eight round bout. Ultimately it would be too close for two official judges as they arrived with identical deadlocked scores resulting in a majority draw. Official scores were: 77-75 (Kroll), and 76-76 (On two scorecards) making it a majority draw. Pau Kroll advances to 10-0-2, with 6 Knockouts. Guido Schramm advances to 16-1-2, with 9 Knockouts. 

The main event of this edition of ShoBox: The New Generation saw a return to the Jr. Lightweight division as undefeated Eridson Garcia faced highly touted prospect Jordan White. What was shaping up to look like an even fight between two prospects at similar stages of their careers ended just as suddenly as one could use the term “Sudden” when White connected with a perfectly time short counter left hook that sent Garcia flat on his back on the canvas. Garcia was essentially out cold as his eyes were wide open as he laid on the canvas, but he was not responding and the count was immediately waved off and the fight stopped giving White a thrilling first round knockout over a previously unbeaten prospect. Official time of the stoppage was 1:57 of round one. Jordan White advances to 15-1, with 11 Knockouts. Eridson Garcia falls to 17-1, with 11 Knockouts. Garcia was up sitting on a stool and was able to leave the ring under his own power.

While the theme of this card, much like most of the Boxing events held under the ShoBox banner in the series twenty-two year history centered around prospects on the rise being matched against their toughest competition to this point, and though I was prepared to talk about how crucial these fights are in terms of the overall development for fighters as they look to progress towards contention and ultimately the goal of fighting for world championships, which it is indeed crucial, I find myself missing what I was going to close this column and my coverage of this card with. It is not too often that a seasoned Boxing Lifer, such as this observer, who has seen just about everything one could on every possible level and variation the sport has to offer, is left “Speechless.” “Speechless” by the sudden and destructive nature of a knockout that seemingly came out of nowhere. 

Jordan White may not be quite ready to fight for a world championship, but scoring a devastating knockout like he did against Eridson Garcia, was not only a statement-making performance, not only a probable candidate for Knockout of the Year honors at the conclusion of 2023, but it was the type of knockout that will generate buzz and likely lead him to an opportunity to move up the ladder a bit more quickly. The sudden nature of how he was able to end the night as well as the fact that it was presented on a national level here in the United Sates on television will likely assist White in garnering a following and now he has emerged as a fighter to watch in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Russell-Magsayo Weights From Atlantic City, NJ

 

The official weigh-in for Saturday’s WBC Featherweight world championship fight between champion Gary Russell and undefeated challenger Mark Magsayo took place yesterday in Atlantic City, NJ. Weights for the televised card, which is being promoted by the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and will be televised here in the United States on premium cable network Showtime are as follows.

 

Main Event: WBC Featherweight world championship – 12Rds.

 

Gary Russell (Champion) 125 1/2lbs. vs. Mark Magsayo (Challenger) 125 1/2lbs.

 

*Jr. Welterweight – 12Rds.

 

Subriel Matias 140 1/2lbs. vs. Petros Ananyan 141lbs.

 

(*This will be a rematch of a bout from February 2020 in which Ananyan won a ten round unanimous decision.)

 

Jr. Lightweight – 10Rds.

 

Tugstsogt Nyambayar 128lbs. vs. Sakaria Lukas 127 1/2lbs.

 

*The three above bouts will be broadcast on Showtime beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

 

Weights for the remaining unaired preliminary bouts are not available as of this writing.

 

Russell vs. Magsayo takes place Tonight (Saturday, January 22^nd) at the Borgota Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. This tripleheader can be seen in the United States on Premium cable/satellite network Showtime as well as streamed through the Showtime and Showtime Anytime streaming apps available on mobile, tablet, connected streaming devices, and Smart TVs beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Check your cable or satellite provider for time and channel in your area. Check your local listings internationally.

 

For more information about Showtime, Showtime Sports, and the Showtime and Showtime Anytime streaming apps, please visit: www.SHO.com.

 

For more information about Premier Boxing Champions please visit: www.PremierBoxingChampions.com.

 

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