Matchroom Boxing heads to the northeast on Saturday. After a few weeks away, Wells Fargo Center, the home court of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and home ice of the NHL‘s Philadelphia Flyers plays host to an evening full of championship boxing action.
In total, Saturday evening’s card from The City of Brotherly Love features five championship fights. Live coverage of this night of champions begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on DAZN. Here’s the best news about Saturday’s card: There’s no pay-per-view commitment needed for the entire evening.
Expect Wells Fargo Center to be packed to the rafters with a partisan crowd, especially for the main event of the evening.
IBF Welterweight Championship Up for Grabs in Matchroom Main Event
Highlighting the night’s activities is a battle for IBF supremacy at 147 lbs. Incumbent IBF Welterweight Champion Jaron Ennis (31-0, 1 NC, 28 KOs) puts his title at risk in his hometown when he faces off against challenger and No. 13 IBF welterweight contender David Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs) in the headliner.
This fight is an advertised maximum of 12 rounds at three minutes per round to close out the activities.
Almost time to shine 💨 @JaronEnnis @DAZNBoxing | #EnnisAvanesyan | @WellsFargoCtr pic.twitter.com/B9fK7gOY3a
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 9, 2024
Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into this IBF Welterweight Championship fight on Saturday night, champion Jaron Ennis stands as the taller combatant at 5-foot-10, compared to the 5-foot-8 frame of David Avanesyan. Ennis owns a 5 1/2-inch reach advantage (74 inches to 68 1/2 inches) over Avanesyan.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Jaron Ennis installed as a -2000 favorite on the money line, while David Avanesyan counters as a +1220 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Ennis Begins New Matchroom Contract with IBF Welterweight Title Fight
Jaron Ennis has yet to lose so far in his pugilism career. Last time out, he scored a scored a 10th-round knockout of Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) on July 8, 2023 from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
At the time, Ennis successfully defended his IBF Interim Welterweight Championship and a fight against mandatory opponent Terence Crawford was in the offing. Crawford, however, declined the mandatory date with Ennis, resulting in Ennis being declared permanent IBF 147-lb. titlist as of Nov. 9.
Subsequent to Ennis becoming permanent champion, he and Matchroom inked a new contract to bring him to the active roster in Eddie Hearn‘s promotion effective with Saturday’s main event, this coming on the heels of a stint in Premier Boxing Champions.
While he already has the IBF Welterweight Championship, the undisputed crown at 147 is what he’s after in the future, something he mentioned in an April interview with Matchroom.
“What I’m excited about is collecting all of the belts,” the champion said. “Getting the rest of the belts: WBC, the WBA and the WBO.”
Avanesyan Faces Third Bid at Permanent World Championship Saturday on Short-Notice
In the other corner, No. 13 contender David Avanesyan has posted a mark of 4-1 in his last five fights. Back in December, he bested Serge Ambono (13-63, 4 KOs) by technical decision in the fourth round from Birmingham, England.
This is Avanesyan’s third chance chance at a full-time world championship after his two previous efforts at permanent gold resulted in defeats, most recently in December of 2022. Initially, Avanesyan wasn’t booked for Saturday night against Ennis, only getting the match last month in the wake of Cody Crowley’s withdrawal from the card due to concerns over his vision screening.
With only having a few short weeks to prepare for the bout, how will he fare this weekend? Only time will tell.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
This should be a great fight to sit down and watch. Both of these guys know how to bring the heat.
Don’t Blink When “Boots” Ennis is in the Ring
Jaron “Boots” Ennis is a man who can quickly hunt for a knockout. One need look no further than his 2021 scrap vs. Thomas Dulorme in PBC.
During the first round of a scheduled 10, Ennis turned the fight into one-way traffic. repeatedly scoring with shots to the head, knocking him down with a crisp right-handed punch inside the opening 90 seconds. Although Dulorme rose to his feet and continued the fight, he was still on wobbly legs from the knockdown, walking away from the referee at one point.
Dulorme’s only highlight of the fight was a right-handed punch that did nothing to faze Ennis, who promptly knocked his opponent down and out with a two-punch combination. If “Boots” comes out swinging, this main event will be a short one.
Avanesyan Equally Impressive
In the other corner, David Avanesyan sings “Anything you can do, I can do better.” His fight for the EBU Welterweight Championship vs. Josh Kelly is indicative of that.
Round five saw Kelly covering up to avoid getting punished before Avanesyan turned it on in round six, giving his opponent a few cuts in the process. Upon knocking Kelly down, Avanesyan kept his foot on the gas pedal with another barrage of punches before Kelly took a knee and his cornerman wisely resigned him from the fight.
Look for David Avanesyan to outpace Jaron Ennis on Saturday. If he catches “Boots” off-guard, the fans in Philadelphia will go home frowning.
Final Thoughts
For a bout that came together on roughly 30 days notice, this could be a dramatic affair. Don’t miss it.
Prediction: Jaron Ennis by First-Round TKO.
